The Cycle of Pain
by The Real Hebi
Summary: Naruto is not the child of Kushina or Minato. Instead he is the forgotten child of Orochimaru who is unaware of his birth. Watch as Naruto struggles against the hate of the Yondaime and the rage inside of him from his treatment. Sarutobi is caught in the middle but he does know one thing. He will not let another Orochimaru rise. (HIATUS: FAMILY REASONS)
1. Chapter 1

**The Cycle of ****Pain**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**That other guy in Japan does. But not me.**

**Summary: Naruto is not the child of Kushina or Minato. Instead he is the forgotten child of Orochimaru who is unaware of his birth. Watch as Naruto struggles against the hate of the Yondaime and the rage inside of him from his treatment. Sarutobi is caught in the middle but he does know one thing. He will not let another Orochimaru rise.**

**A/N: TRH(The Real Hebi)**** here ****trying out his hand in the Fanfiction realm. ****I must profess at this point that I do not have a pairing to this story and am more than open to suggestions but they must be logical and have some possibility to them. ****I have a poll up on my profile for those of you that wish to place your vote for the pairing. ****(Note: The choices are there because they are the only ones I have the ability to write properly and that go with the story.)**

**Next****, I would like to say that in this story the Sannin are all younger than they were in canon. Still as famous ****for the wars and Hanzo**** but stronger due to them ****being much closer to**** their prime. In this the Sannin are a bit older than Minato's generation (He was ****21**** at the time of becoming Hokage). The Sannin are 2****9****years old when Naruto is born. ****4****1**** at the end of the Academy and 4****6**** at the end of the training trip. In which the Konoha Nine will be 18.****Everyone else is Canon age.**

**Basically a few events in time were sped up to match my time line but everything still happened. ****Anyways, enough rambling and hint giving. On with the story and I do hope that you enjoy it.  
**

* * *

Things in Konohagakure no Sato were changing and changing very quickly. For starters the Third Shinobi war had recently been won by Konoha. They had taken their fair share of losses but in the end they had pulled it off. Of course the horrors of war were still very fresh in the minds of the populace. Luckily for them, the breath of fresh air they needed was at hand.

The Hero that had won them the war had been selected for Yondaime. Namikaze Minato received the honor from his friend and predecessor in Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage. Minato had accepted the offer graciously and became set to take office in a few short weeks.

Hiruzen had made a wonderful decision in electing Minato to be his successor. Not only was he widely loved by the population, the female population more than the male for obvious reasons, but the ninja population as well. Many of them respected Minato for his fierce but kind heart and his skills in battle.

Konoha became overjoyed by these words but their good fortune had not stopped there. Not by a long shot. Konoha's villagers eventually found out that the Yondaime had a wife, much to the ire of the females, and it was none other than Uzumaki Kushina, the heiress of the Uzumaki Clan.

Again Minato had become a wonderful choice. Konoha had deep ties with the Uzumaki since the Shodai Hokage had married one. Ever since then the red swirl of the Uzumaki clan could be seen on almost all official ninja gear of Konoha.

The day Minato became Hokage quickly became the best day Konoha had seen in a long time. It was true that times were hard with the recovery from the war and the loss of loved ones. What gave Konoha hope was Minato. As long as their white knight lived then they would be able to weather any storm.

Fast forward a few months to the date of October Tenth. Minato and Kushina had left in a hurry leaving a Hokage sealed note that gave Hiruzen powers of the office until Minato returned. That was the official reasoning behind the duo's disappearance. The actual reason is that Kushina had gone into labor after months of hiding from the public view to keep the child a secret. Hiruzen was all to happy to oblige. He needed something to occupy his mind.

Well something other than the obvious pain he had to endure every day. No pain hurt as much as a Teacher that failed the Student. And in Hiruzen's eyes he fit that perfectly. He had failed his most prized student in Orochimaru and allowed him to fall down the path of hate.

Some said that he had no choice in the matter. That it was all Orochimaru's choice to become the way he was and that he shouldn't hold himself accountable. But how could he not? His students were like his children and to fail one of them hurt beyond measure.

Yes, he dearly needed something to occupy his mind.

* * *

**[Hidden location near Konoha]**

Kushina lay in her bed, her hair matted thickly with sweat from the arduous labor she had just put her body through. Child birth was no laughing matter and the pain caused from it would be enough to kill anyone. And in some cases it did. But regardless of her physical condition she had pushed through the exhaustion and successful delivered her child.

The child currently slept in the fair skinned arms of one Senju Tsunade. She had been asked to oversee the birth of the baby as a personal favor from Minato and Kushina. Jiraiya wanted to be there too but due to a complication in his spy network he was unable to attend.

Speaking of Minato, the Hokage held a smiling and vibrant smile on his face. This had to be his most favorite moment in his life thus far. Being made Hokage and marrying Kushina coming in close second. Not to down play those events but something about his child made him feel so alive.

"Well congratulations Kushina on a perfectly healthy baby." Tsunade smiled softly to the two exhausted parents. She had purposely left out the gender of the child. Kushina and Minato had elected to be surprised by the gender of the baby. And judging by the looks on their faces Tsunade knew they wanted to know.

Kushina simply held out her arms in a 'give me the baby' fashion. Tsunade chuckled softly and walked over to hand the bundle over to the mother. Kushina carefully and gradually took the baby into her arms. She had never smiled so widely in her life.

What she held in her arms was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen in her life. In her arms was a boy with the most beautiful cerulean eyes she had ever seen. They seemed to pull her in and go on forever. Much like an ocean. His skin resembled his father's in it's complexion. His hair rivaled the spikiness of his father and the redness of his mother.

All in all the child resembled the parents very strongly. Tsunade smiled at the two as they took in every detail of their child. She watched their eyes hungrily devour the boy's image in it's entirety. She wanted to laugh when Kushina stopped staring and furrowed her brow in deep thought.

"Minato, what do you think we should name him?" Kushina asked softly. They wanted to keep the gender a secret between them. As such they couldn't come up with a name they both liked without knowing the gender.

"Uh How about Naruto?" Minato asked hopefully, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. He had read about the name in the first book Jiraiya ever published. It didn't do as good as the ones he sold now but it held a much stronger meaning. The name came from that book.

Kushina thought about it. She had read the book as well and accepted it as a good book. That being said, she didn't exactly like the idea of her baby being named after that character and by proxy become associated with Jiraiya and his books. She knew about his so called 'Masterpieces' and hated them.

"I think we should name him after the father mostly. How does Mino sound?" This caught his attention. He was honored to have his wife say that she wanted their son to be named after him. It brought a tear to his eye just thinking about the love this woman held for him.

"I think that would be great. Mino it is." He smiled at her. Not a small smile but one so large it threatened to break his face in half if it grew any bigger. Kushina smiled back at her husband/best friend. She couldn't believe her luck in finding her soul mate.

Tsunade smiled at them and turned to leave when she felt a chakra signature moving towards them. A chakra she had become very accustomed to as she had been working with it for years now. Plus this level of power could only come from five people. Two of which were in the room with her and the other two were busy with their own life. Which left only one option left.

"Orochimaru..." She said quietly. The two distracted parents didn't hear it over their own conversation. Tsunade whirled around on her heel and opened her mouth to speak when something stopped her. Something small and sharp. Her eyes became heavy as she fell to the side, causing both parents to look over.

What they saw was the Snake Sannin Orochimaru standing over the prone body of his former teammate. An all too familiar smirk adorned on his lips. Minato instantly tensed up at the sight of his Sensei's teammate. The same man who rivaled him for the Hokage position.

"What do you want?" Minato ground out. His distaste for the Sannin extremely evident at that point. The Snake seemed to get some mild enjoyment out of making Minato all tensed and worried. This would most certainly play into the plan he had.

"Kukuku dear Minato. How are you? And is that a child I see?" His voice taunted Minato to test him. Taunting him to give into his base anger and strike out against him. Sadly, Minato held his ground and simply stared him down. The ice in his eyes plainly visible.

"Leave now or I will kill you." It wasn't a threat in any way. It was a promise of a lifetime. One that Minato backed up by launching his killer intent at the Sannin. Orochimaru simply smiled at Minato. He had been in tighter positions than this one and his killer intent was roughly the same as his so it held little effect to him.

Instead of verbally responding Orochimaru shot his tongue out, wrapped it around the baby, and pulled it towards him. Kushina, being as exhausted as she was, had little time to respond before the baby was yanked out of her arms. She would have lunged at the Sannin but he held a kunai to the child's neck with a twisted grin.

"Not so fast Minato." Orochimaru said to the blonde, who attempted to throw his tri-pronged kunai at him. "Unless you want the baby to die I suggest you do as I say." Minato slowly lowered his kunai, much to the sick pleasure of the Sannin. "Now I need some time alone here with Kushina. Minato you will take this baby and leave or I will activate the seal on him and kill him. The seal will dissolve if you are far enough away from me."

Minato was about to ask why Orochimaru wanted Kushina but he gave him no time to think. Orochimaru lobbed the child in the air and dashed at Kushina, his fingers ablaze with chakra. Minato jumped over to the baby, grabbed it, and vanished in a yellow flash. Orochimaru slammed his palm on Kushina's belly, causing the seal to glow a violent orange.

* * *

**[Namikaze Estate]**

Minato and Mino arrived in the golden flash of light that the Hokage became famous with. Luckily he had arrived in the baby room of the house. In the heat of the moment he had forgotten to aim for a certain room and simply launched to the house. It was pure luck he managed to land here.

"Be safe Mino. Daddy will be back soon. I promise." It happened at this moment. Right as the silence settled over the two boys a roar could be heard. Not a simple roar from an animal or even one from a person. No this one came from something much bigger and much stronger. If the chakra he was feeling was anything to go by.

Minato rushed to the window and frowned deeply. Deeper than any frown he had ever worn in his life. Standing at the walls of Konoha was a beast of impressive size and power. The nine tails of the beast swayed angrily at the village. The Kyuubi no Kitsune had come to his village.

The village had met this force head on despite the strength. Constantly balls of fire and explosive tags were launched at the Kyuubi. None of it seemed to have any effect other than pushing the beast back or just plain angering it further.

Minato watched as a small blue dot moved up the red Beast's fur and stop right at the ear. A split second later the Kyuubi howled out in momentary pain. '_Must have been Kakashi and his Chidori._' Minato thought with a small smile. That boy was something else.

After roughly five minutes of watching it became painfully obvious that the Shinobi on the front would not be able to stop this beast on their own. He would have to do something about this beast. Sadly enough the only thing he knew to best this beast would be to seal it away but that would require a life and a sacrifice.

He hated this, having to use his boy like this, but it he is the only one that could hold this Beast at bay for all of his life. He had no problems with dying to be honest. He didn't want to of course but he came to terms with death after his parents had died.

One thing is certain for the Hokage. Orochimaru would pay for releasing this beast upon his precious village.

* * *

**[Meanwhile]**

On the front things were easily going from worse to nightmarish in a hurry. Most of the main Shinobi force that had met the Kyuubi were either running low on chakra, dead, or dying quickly. The only relief they got was in the form of the Sandaime Hokage making his way with his ANBU force.

Luckily a few ANBU were at the scene of action already, coordinating the efforts to the best of their ability. "Lord Hokage!" The bird faced ANBU member called out. A moment later the Sandaime arrived in his black Shinobi gear and a few ANBU behind him.

"Bird, what is the situation?" the aged voiced of Hiruzen demanded. His veteran voice seemed to cut through all of the noise and chatter on the field. The Bird paled a bit at the voice before re-gaining his composure to answer.

"Sir, many are running out of chakra and supplies. Some are bleeding out and others are dead. Sadly, it doesn't seem like we are making any progress against it." Sarutobi took in those words grimly. They desperately needed help against this beast. Hopefully, the fourth would have a plan. For now though...

"Bird, gather those with chakra and paper bombs. Tell them to wait for my signal before launching everything they have left. We have to fight this thing off until the Fourth can arrive." Bird nodded wordlessly and set off to do his task. Hiruzen turned around to his small task force.

"You four have the same job. Please hurry." They all vanished without a word. The Sandaime ran through a few hand seals and summoned his friend: Enma.

"**Eh? Oh hey Sarutobi. Need me for the staff again?**" The monkey king asked. Hiruzen sighed sadly at the words but nodded nonetheless. Enma sighed and puffed into a plume of smoke. The Sandaime reached into the smoke and pulled out his famous staff.

Sarutobi jumped up to a building with a grim expression adorning his face. The Kyuubi. Upon sensing an extremely powerful chakra nearby turned his head to see the person. He was sadly disappointed when it was a small and elderly human.

"**Who are you?**" The Kyuubi inquired. Despite what most would say the Kyuubi could be quite civilized but very quick to anger. Hiruzen was slightly taken aback by the voice of the Beast but shook himself clear of it.

"The Sandaime Hokage of Konoha." And with that the elderly man leaped into the air, carrying the staff with him. He raised it over his head and brought it down with thunderous force. Enma sensed his summoner's will and extended to cover the distance. The result of their tandem unison was a loud crack on the top of the Kyuubi's head.

The Kyuubi growled out in pain that resonated from his head. He retaliated by bringing up one of his tails and launching it straight at the Sandaime. But he was not a Hokage for this long for nothing. Instead of being speared by the tail Hiruzen timed his jump and landed on the tail.

Quickly the old man took off running down the tail of the Kyuubi. The Fox shook his tail violently intent on knocking him off. Sarutobi jumped off the tail just before that. He looked down. He floated above the mid section of the beast. He noticed an opening and took it.

The Ex-Hokage front flipped in the air, bring the staff crashing down on the Kyuubi's ribs. The beast cringed in on that side. The Kyuubi blasted his thick Killer Intent out from his body. It pushed the air so harshly the Sandaime was pushed back and forced to land on a tree top.

"_That thing is impossibly strong. When I hit it I felt like I did nothing to it. And I put all my strength behind those two strikes._" The Sandaime grimly thought to himself. Things weren't looking to good for him if he couldn't do strikes that could hurt. Maybe his Ninjutsu would work.

The Kyuubi turned towards the Hokage on the tree top and began running towards him. Hiruzen jumped back just as his tree became splinters, all the while performing a short set of hand seals and building chakra. Once done he opened his mouth and called out.

"Katon: Karyuu Endan!" A that moment a large and daunting dragon shaped flame erupted from Hiruzen's mouth. The flame went no more than five meters before slamming it's head into the Kyuubi's face, forcing the beast to stop it's charge and lose sight of his target.

* * *

**[With Hiruzen]**

The blast from his attack had enough force to stop the Kyuubi from advancing but the pressure had pushed him back as well. He had no time to react as he smashed through tree branches only to land in a clearing.

He quickly hopped up and looked around. Nothing was too out of the ordinary. Just some trees, the moon, the giant red fox in the background. Oh that and the alter with a baby in it and Kushina standing right next to the baby with a frown on her face.

Sarutobi moved over to her side quickly, curious as to why she stood next to the baby. But one look at the child proved to be enough. The child belonged to her. "Kushina why are you here?" The red head whirled to the elderly man. Sadness locking her expression down.

"Minato needs me for the seal." This made his eyes widen. The Shiki Fujin was nothing to mess around with as it consumed the soul of the one who used it.

"How does he pla-" A vicious roar ripped through the quiet clearing. Both parties looked up to see a massive toad sitting atop the Kyuubi. Minato had appeared in front of in front of them in a flash of gold, a grim expression on his face.

"Lord Third," Minato started out. His voice sounded grated like nails on a chalk board. Like the man's soul had been ripped from his very chest and he was forced to live on without it. "I need you to hold off the Kyuubi while Kushina and I prepare the seal." Hiruzen really wanted to trade places with Kushina but their demeanor and stances at the moment suggested that they would not take no for an answer.

"I will do my best." With that he hopped away, intent on stopping the beast for the moment. If only to buy some time for them. Minato and Kushina set off to write the ink needed for the transfer and sealing of a Tailed Beast.

Sarutobi stood alone on this fight. The Kyuubi stalked slowly towards them, no doubt sensing the chakra signatures of the three powerful ninja gathered. He had only one shot at this and he would have to make it good or the beast would ruin their plans.

"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" The Sandaime called out, forming one perfect clone next to him as a result. The duo had to wait just a few more seconds or this would fail greatly. The Kyuubi took on more massive step forward. It was then that the Sandaime clone, armed with half of the original's chakra, leaped onto a tree then into the sky. Directly above the Kyuubi's head.

"Katon: Goryuka no jutsu!" A large mass of dragon shaped flames erupted from the clone's mouth. The Kyuubi looked up just in time to see the giant mass of flames smash right into the crown of his head. The force from the impact and resulting explosion alone had pushed the Kyuubi's head toward the earth at a rapid pace. The clone puffed away with a smile.

The real Sandaime knew that this was the time. He gathered up what remained of his chakra and made his move. Quickly he dashed under the large beast's descending head and put his jutsu into motion. "Doton: Doryuheki!" He called out, slamming his hands onto the earth floor beneath him.

Instantly a wall of solid earth rose from the ground. The wall could easily be compared to the that of a mountain rising from the ground. As the wall rose the jaw of the red fox smashed into it with full force, destroying the wall in the process. The Kyuubi lay on the ground, disoriented from the collision.

Hiruzen fell to one knee and could only hope that he had bought them enough time. Seconds later the Sandaime fell to the side and pass out from exhaustion. His elderly body simply could not keep up with these kinds of fights anymore.

* * *

**[Few Minutes Later]**

Minato held Kushina's body close to him. She had used to Shiki Fujin on the Kyuubi to rip it's Yin part from it's body. The Yondaime had used his chakra to perform the seal on the other half of the Kyuubi and seal it inside of his son, who hadn't stopped crying since.

"Minato...my love...please don't let this...make you bitter. Be kind...and caring. Mino will need that...from you. But promise me...one thing?" Kushina asked between heavily labored breaths. Minato looked to be on the verge of breaking on the inside. Only Kushina's words held him together.

"Anything my love." Minato quickly responded. He knew the effects of the seal and as such knew that she didn't have long to live. Kushina smiled and leaned in close to him.

"Make that bastard suffer!" Were her last words before going completely limp in his arms. Minato hugged her body close and began to rock back and forth, crying all the while. Even Mino had stopped crying long enough for his father to realize that he was still there.

Setting Kushina down gently he walked over and picked up his baby. He smiled at the child, the only piece of Kushina and family he had left in this world. He would protect the child and love it like no other. He owed the baby and Kushina that much.

"Quite the touching scene." The same slimy voice from before spoke from the shadows. Minato whirled around quickly to see who it was, holding the baby tightly to his chest for protection. Once again Orochimaru stepped from the shadows with a smirk adorning his features.

"You caused this!" The Yondaime hollered at the man. Orochimaru simply put a finger up to his chin with his other hand supporting his elbow. His golden eyes glowed faintly in the night.

"Actually I believe that Kyuubi did this. Well I did release him. But oh well. It was fun while it lasted." He licked his lips evilly at that last thought. Something about his home village paying for their sins against him made him feel all warm inside.

Minato gritted his teeth, dangerously narrowing his eyes at the Sannin. Orochimaru noticed him and laughed merrily at him. What could the Yondaime do in his position? Fighting him was out. He's far to weak for that.

"Don't worry. I'm not here to kill you. I want you to be at your best when I do that. I came to leave you with a message: I will come back and when I do you had better be ready for a fight." The Snake Sannin let his words sink in while he sunk into the ground.

Minato sighed and looked back to his child. This baby would be his strength in the years to come.

* * *

**[Twelve Years Later]**

A twelve year old boy opened his eyes for the first time of the day. He turned toward the window. A single ray of light had managed to get through and beam him directly in the eyes, thus waking him up. The boy groaned when he got out of bed. He hated mornings but he learned to deal with them.

The boy walked over to the bathroom to use it as per his daily routine. Once done he flushed his toilet and began to wash his hands. Once done he splashed a small amount of water onto his face to wake himself up from his hazy mind. He took the towel from the side and used it to dry his face off before looking himself in the mirror.

The reflection portrayed that of an obviously young boy. His hair, jet black and long, almost like a black silk. His skin seemed paler than the moonlight on a full moon. His eyes were like silted emeralds that seemed to glow when he became angry. His eyes were adorned by a green marking on either side. His face and body frame held a good deal of width to them, making him seem and look much more human.

His name was Naruto and he was an orphan.

He had no family that he could have ever recalled seeing. Heck, he didn't even have a family name or anything to go by. He was simply Naruto and for the most part he was alone. But he didn't face the world alone. No, he had a caretaker and father figure.

The caretaker of Naruto was none other than the Sandaime Hokage. The old man had taken up the mantel of caring for Naruto when he had found out about the boy's true origins. Not that it was exactly difficult to do. The eye markings and silted eyes were practically a dead giveaway.

Naruto walked back to his room and got dressed for the day. He didn't have much in life and his attire reflected such. He wore a black long sleeve shirt with a sage green t-shirt over top. He wore the same sage green colored pants with blue Shinobi sandals.

He sighed as he put his sandals on. He wanted to join the Academy and become a ninja more than anything in the world. But the civilian council strictly forbade him from joining out of fear and some how convinced the Shinobi council to agree. That hadn't stopped him in the slightest, in fact it had spurred him on to become better and train harder.

The Sandaime over looked some of his training sessions and each time he couldn't be more shocked. It seemed that Naruto had picked up his father's ability and natural skill. His Taijutsu and Ninjutsu were among the best he had seen since Orochimaru. This scared the ex-Hokage but luckily Naruto seemed to have no interest in using his skills for the wrong reasons.

* * *

**[Training Ground 44]**

Naruto had just gotten done with another grueling training exercise that consisted of running sprints up and down a rather lengthy tree. Sweat rolled down his forehead in droves. This training pushed his body to the limit each time. Slowly but surely it made him faster as well. Fighting against gravity and all.

"Hello Naruto." The elder voice of the Sandaime spoke out. Naruto turned around with his sweat rag and smiled. He always enjoyed the visits the old man gave him. Even though they were few.

"Hey old man!" Naruto cried out happily. The Sandaime very well may have been his father for all the stuff he taught Naruto.

"How goes the training?" The ex-Hokage inquired. Naruto's smile vanished as he took a more serious look. Training for him was almost always a serious matter.

"Good for the most part. Rough but worth it. Maybe this year they will let me take the test." Naruto grumbled that last part but Hiruzen heard him well enough to know what he said. It saddened him that the civilian council held such a strong grudge against Orochimaru that he carried it over to his son in some regards.

In short Minato hated the boy for no reason other than who his father was. Because of this Hiruzen had trained Naruto some on the side in hopes of him being eligible to take the graduation exam. Of course Hiruzen had Naruto hold off on the exams till he felt like he was ready.

Today was that day.

"Naruto I have a surprise for you." Naruto's face turned from depressed to focused in an instant. The last time he had a surprise it happened to be his favorite jutsu. Or at least his most used jutsu. "You are going to take the test today. You'll be going up against Uchiha Sasuke, this year's number one rookie."

Naruto paled at that. He had never fought another person in all of his life. Not even the villagers or ninja that used to beat on him. He figured that if he attacked back he would only be proving them right when they called him a "Freak" or "Snake" or "Monster". Naruto had asked the Sandaime about those names and only received a dry and unfeeling look in return.

Add on top of that, this was the number one rookie he would have to go against. Someone who no doubt had more experience from fighting in training sessions than Naruto.

"Naruto please don't worry so much. I am sure you will do fine. All you have to do is show that you know the basics and you pass. You can do this. I believe that you can." The Sandaime smiled softly at the pale boy. He may have messed up with Orochimaru but he would not let Naruto isolate himself from others and fall down that path.

Naruto's eyes began to water at the edges. He could always count on the Sandaime to make him feel better when he was feeling down in the dumps or daunted by a prospect. Now being one of those times. Naruto wiped the tears from his eyes and focused them. He would pull this off for the old man.

"Let's go!" Naruto proclaimed with a fist pump. He could truly be a happy child if he was ever given the chance to be. Sarutobi smiled and began walking with Naruto.

* * *

**[Close to the Academy]**

Sarutobi smiled at his own thoughts. Having Naruto go against the Uchiha was a perfect idea. It would get Naruto a team and keep him from falling down a dark path and would teach the Uchiha to be a bit more humble. Plus it would sure grab the council's attention. Hopefully they would realize that they were wrong about Naruto and would lay off of him.

Naruto on the other hand didn't smile. His hand kept going back to check his kunai strap on his leg. His palms and head could not have sweated more even if he tried. He couldn't help but be nervous. His first fight was against an Uchiha and the last on at that!

Along the way Naruto had managed to squeeze that piece of information out of Hiruzen. It certainly didn't help him in anyway. All he knew about the Uchiha is that were a strong clan with the Sharingan before most of them got wiped out by Sasuke's older brother Itachi. Naruto could only hope that Sasuke hadn't activated his Sharingan yet.

Naruto was pulled from his thoughts when Hiruzen pulled on his sleeve and pointed head of them to a training ground where the challenge would take place. The training ground had a simple layout. Some trees to the left and right and a clearing driven between them. Just solid ground and grass in the clearing.

A man with a scar on his nose and tied back brown hair greeted the two of them.

"Lord Third, it is an honor to see you again." He gave a slight bow to the man. The Sandaime smiled and nodded to the man. "This must be Naruto?" The man turned towards Naruto. His eyes appraised Naruto.

Naruto held out his hand "Naruto." The man almost took a step back out of fear but shook his head then shook the pale child's hand.

"Umino Iruka." The now identified Iruka spoke with a friendly voice and a smile. Naruto mentally sighed to himself. He was afraid the man would be nasty to him. But maybe the Sandaime being here had something to do with his kindness.

"Please follow me Naruto and we will go to the testing site." Iruka said flatly and began to walk. Iruka thought that this whole thing was simply a show to make the Uchiha feel better about himself. Not to mention the rumors about the Council not liking the boy.

A few moments later the trio arrived at the training ground. Naruto's eyes darted around and began to appease the area, looking for anything that might give him and edge to win. What he noticed first was a boy, no taller than him, standing with his arms crossed and his eyes focused directly on Naruto.

"Hello Sarutobi." The voice of Hiruzen's old teammate Danzo cut through the silence.

"Hello Danzo." Hiruzen replied with equal authority in his voice. The air grew cold around the two men. The Civilian Council in the back shrunk back at the pressure the two of them released.

Sasuke and Naruto didn't bother to look at the two men and kept their eyes locked on each other, looking for any weaknesses that the other had. Naruto's silted eyes hardened on Sasuke's onyx eyes. Both of them took a stance at the same time.

Iruka sprung into action, landing in between them. "I see you both are ready. Very well. Begin!" Iruka hopped back out of the way. His words drew the attention of all those watching, namely the Sandaime and the Civilian Council. Danzo showed up for the excuse to see how the boy progressed compared to his Father at this age.

The two fighters stood perfectly still. Both of them waiting for the silent signal that the earth would provide for them. Just then a strong gust of win blew through the clearing between the two boys. Their eyes widened and they took off towards each other.

Sasuke made the first move by attempting to hit Naruto in the face with a right hook. Naruto saw this coming and dropped into a squat, narrowly dodging the attack. He then threw a left towards the center of Sasuke's stomach. The dark haired boy spun to the side, while spinning he dropped into a sweeping kick.

Naruto's eyes widened when he saw Sasuke's foot come across the ground to him. He hopped slightly in the air, spun to gain momentum, and brought his foot down right on Sasuke's head. The Uchiha grunted in pain and rolled back and away from the pale skinned Naruto.

The crunch of the Uchiha's neck had made a few council members to gasp and mutter amongst themselves about Naruto going to far. Danzo smirked silently to himself. The boy had managed to stay ahead of the Uchiha the entire fight thus far and landed the first blow. Hiruzen smiled at the scene. Naruto was doing great and showing the Uchiha a worthwhile fight.

The two had engaged in a hand to hand fight again. Sasuke was determined to prove that he could best Naruto. The pale boy blocked or straight up dodged all of Sasuke's punches and kicks. It wasn't until Sasuke missed an uppercut that Naruto planted his fist into his face and sent him sailing.

Naruto watched Sasuke fly and noticed his body had started shaking. He had never felt anything like this feeling. The feeling of fighting and winning felt far to good for him. He wanted more of it. He wanted the Uchiha to feel his rage that he kept bottled up for so long.

Sasuke stood up and decided that he had been hit one time too many and went to land the finishing blow. Running through head seals the Uchiha were famous for he sucked in a big gulp of air.

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" And Sasuke let the huge ball of flame fly through the air and at Naruto with hurtling speed. Naruto couldn't really dodge it seeing it's size but that's when a plan entered his head. A plan to win.

"Doton: Doryuheki!" Naruto called out and slammed his hands on the ground. The Earth rose up to meet the ball of fire dead on. The fireball hit and instantly became extinguished against the hard surface, sending smoke everywhere, and blocking vision.

From the smoke Naruto came running right at Sasuke. The Raven haired boy, still breathing slightly heavy from the jutsu he just launched, brought his defense up. Naruto brought his knee up for a gut shot. Sasuke launched his fist straight through Naruto's head. Literally straight through.

Sasuke's eyes widened when he realized the Naruto he was fighting was a clone. Suddenly the real Naruto appeared behind Sasuke, jabbing a kunai into his knee. Sasuke dropped to his injured knee with a grunt. Naruto swung his leg and cracked it across the side of Sasuke's face.

The Uchiha lay face down in the ground, unconscious from the kick. Naruto pulled his kunai out of the boy's leg. For some reason he couldn't stop himself from thinking that at any moment the Uchiha would wake up and try to kill him.

Naruto felt his blood scream for the death of the person who had tried to harm him. And at the moment, he wasn't sure he could stop himself from killing the Uchiha. His blood lust had just become too great and needed to be satisfied. Luckily Hiruzen noticed the look and jumped in to stop him.

"Very good Naruto but that's enough. Now put the kunai away." Naruto growled lowly at the Sandaime, sounding an awful lot like his Sannin Father.

"You're kidding right? This piece of trash is the rookie of the year? Pathetic if you ask me. It seems Konoha needs me more than I thought." And with that Naruto hopped away from the scene. Hiruzen sighed to himself. Orochimaru had been the same way when he first fought a worth while opponent. It would seem Naruto picked that up too.

"Very good. Very impressive for a genin. I haven't seen one so skilled since, well, Orochimaru." Danzo spoke with a mockingly happy tone. Though it was true. Orochimaru had been one hell of a genin in his time.

The Civilian Council murmured amongst themselves, talking about how the son of the Snake Sannin handily defeated the last Uchiha. It seemed to them that they had wasted their efforts on the wrong child prodigy. They decided that they would allow Naruto to join a team.

* * *

**[Naruto's house]**

Naruto walked in through the front door and sighed. He was coming down from his high of fighting the Uchiha and was not happy about it. He loved the feeling of fighting and wanted to do it all the time if it meant he would never have to been this...dead again. Fighting made him feel alive.

He also pondered what it would feel like to kill someone. Stabbing the Uchiha had brought a rush blasting through his system. He could not imagine what killing someone would make him feel like. He shuddered slightly at the thought, a twisted grin covering over his face.

Naruto quickly shook his head. These thought were wrong and the Sandaime would be disappointed in him for even thinking like that. Naruto hung his head when he thought about the old man. Hiruzen would no doubt be very upset with him for acting the way he did during the fight an after.

With a heavy sigh he walked into his room and plopped down on his bed. A small and annoying thought kept into his head while his thoughts raged about. "This is only the beginning."

* * *

**A/N: Well there you have it. Chapter one of the cycle of pain. Please leave a review and let me know what you like, disliked, loved, hated etc. Hope you enjoyed the first chapter and ****don't forget to vote for the main pairing of this story! Anyway, see you all next time and hope you had a wonderful holiday.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. Never have. Never will.**

**Poll: Still up and running. Don't forget to vote.**

**AN: Message at the bottom!  
**

* * *

Umino Iruka walked into his classroom with a sense of uneasiness about him. He arrived at his class roughly five minutes late because he had talked to the Sandaime about Naruto. The boy had interested him and he wanted to learn more about him. However, what he learned was not what he had expected.

He found out that Naruto is the son of Orochimaru, the Snake Sannin of Konoha. Or rather ex-Konoha ninja but that didn't really matter. The man could easily crush almost any ninja out there with little to no effort at all. And the fact that he had bore a child with his same talent level scared Iruka.

Of course the Sandaime assured Iruka that Naruto was nothing like his father and would never fall prey to the same influences as Orochimaru had. That still didn't stop Iruka from being wary of the child. He trusted the ex-Hokage. Not the son of one of the most dangerous men alive.

In fact the class must have felt the same thing. Because when Iruka snapped out of his thoughts to begin assigning teams he heard no noise. Iruka blinked at the sudden phenomenon. The whole class was never ever this silent. Even the Haruno and Yamanaka were dead silent.

As Iruka watched the class he noticed that their eyes seem to be stealing glances at the pale skinned Naruto. Not that the boy paid them any attention however. He stared straight at the board and waited for his team to be announced. A rather pleased smile on his pale face.

Iruka opened his mouth to begin speaking when Uchiha Sasuke opened up the door. He walked into the class with a slight hobble to his leg from the previous day's actives. His fan club immediately began an uproar upon seeing their beloved Sasuke hurt or injured in any way, shape or form.

"Oh poor Sasuke!" The pink haired Sakura called out. Only Kami knows how she got her voice to become so high and so annoying. Hearing the screeching voice of his loudest fan girl, Sasuke cringed. Coming up quickly behind her was the blonde haired Yamanaka heiress.

"Move forehead, Sasuke needs some one pretty to look at to feel better!" the Yamanaka shoved Haruno out-of-the-way and on to her backside. She stopped for a moment to hold a triumphant smirk over her rival before turning back to their mutual point of interest.

"Oh Sasuke! How on earth did you get hurt?" Yamanaka asked quietly, afraid her question might have offended him in some way. Sasuke just grunted and narrowed his eyes. The platinum blonde followed his eyes to see where they landed. She held back a gasp when he eyes landed on the newest kid in the room.

Naruto turned his head when he felt a strong glare attack him. Seeing that it was only Sasuke he met and matched his glare with one of his own. The whole room grew silent and watched the two boys stare each other down.

Iruka sat still, silently hopping that the two wouldn't break out into a fight again.

Sakura was contemplating weather or not to smash Naruto's face in for hurting her precious Sasuke.

Ino, the Yamanaka, stared with her mouth agape. _This _was the kid that had managed to best Sasuke?

Mizuki, Iruka's teaching helper, wore perhaps the best face of surprise. This _boy _looked exactly like his master. Even his glare looked just like Orochimaru's glare. Not that anyone knew who Mizuki associated with anyway. He was a rather shady person.

Eventually Sasuke grunted and hobbled up to his seat. By the time the fan club had recovered from their shock their idol had already taken his seat. The rest of the girls rushed over to get the one empty seat next to Sasuke.

Naruto watched on with mild amusement as the fan group migrated over to the only seat next to the Uchiha Heir. Naruto could care less about that though. He was more excited to see which team he would be put on and who would be his teammates.

Soon Iruka worked up that nerve to speak again, hoping that this time there would be no menacing show down between students. "Right. Anyway from this day forth you are all Shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato. I expect each and every one of you to remember what I have taught you and remember the 'Will of Fire'. Remember this and you will do fine in this life."

Iruka waited while the resounding roar of the crowd eventually died down. He could hear many cries of victory and promises to uphold the will of fire but these aren't what interested him. What interested him was Naruto. The boy had not joined in on any of the celebrations or anything. He just stared blankly at the wall, focused on getting his team.

"Quiet down now." Iruka held up a tanned hand to silence the children. It took them a few more moments and cold glares from the two teachers but they did settle down. "Now we will be assigning your teams to you as given to us by the Hokage. After that your Sensei will meet you here in about an hour so you have some time to get to know your new team."

A round of nods from the students, except a few kids, told Iruka it was time to get on with the show. Each kid wanted to see their team. Each wanted to know who they would be spending a great deal of time with. Their excitements began to fill the air and made it thick with anticipation.

Iruka went through the first six teams. Each time he called out a team the female member would let out a whine while the boys seemed unaffected but happy regardless. The biggest bomb when it came to the teams was team seven.

"Team Seven will be composed of Uchiha Sasuke." This caught the attention of everyone in the room, even Naruto looked to see who would be paired with the last Uchiha. "Haruno Sakura." A vicious screech of victory echoed throughout the room. "And Inuzuka Kiba. Your Jonin Sensei will be Hatake Kakashi."

Iruka moved over to the team eight slot and began writing. "Now for Team Eight." The room grew silent again. Only a few students remained to be put on teams and now that the Uchiha had been put on a team they wanted to see who the pale kid would go with. "First up is Aburame Shino."

The bug users simply nodded in acceptance of the situation. Most of the other students cringed at the name. Bugs alone were creepy enough. But bugs that crawled out of Human skin? Most certainly shudder worthy. "Hyuuga Hinata." The Hyuuga heir blushed when her name was called. Though on the inside she was a little sad. She had wished to be pair with Mino but his father, the Yondaime, personally oversaw his training.

The students held their breath again. The last member always seemed to be the most interesting as it completed the group. "And lastly, Naruto. Your Sensei will be Yuuhi Kurenai" The room went dead silent but that was to be expected. No one knew Naruto. Hell, no one had even seen Naruto until now.

Naruto smirked to himself. He loved that no one knew anything about him. It made him an unpredictable ninja and that would save his life when he needed it. He knew about the Hyuuga from Hiruzen. Holders of the famous Byakugan and Gentle fist fighting style. Then the Aburame. Wielder of the chakra draining insects. Talented bunch they were.

He had been so absorbed in his own thoughts that he hadn't heard the other teams called nor did he see the other teams file out of the room to meet and greet each other. Naruto blinked and looked around to see his two teammates next to each other but not talking. He sighed to himself and walked over to them.

"Hello you two. My name is Naruto. It is nice to meet you." He gave them a slight bow. The Hyuuga blushed and the Aburame nodded. He took this as a good sign and sat down next to Hinata. Normally he would be okay with the silence but the Sandaime had urged him to build bonds with his teammates. Silently cursing the old man he sucked in a breath.

"Would you two like to go outside and talk? I brought snacks for all of us. This way we can get to know each other. What do you say?" He said with a slight smile. The duo looked at each other then back to the pale kid and nodded. Together the three of them left and walked outside.

Once outside the group found an empty table and sat down on it. Naruto distributed some rice balls among the group with a small, albeit forced, smile. He truly felt awkward in these types of situations because he had very little experience when it came to people who didn't hate him.

Soon the silence became far to awkward for Naruto to handle. He decided that he would go first. "Well I guess I can go first. My name is Naruto. I like Science and training. I dislike people who judge others without knowing them first. My dream is to make my grandfather happy by becoming a great ninja."

Naruto watched the two swallow the information he gave them. He really didn't have much to say about himself that he hadn't already. He had no history to go over. No parents to talk about. Only the Sandaime. The Hyuuga nodded and went to twiddling her fingers. Shino gave no apparent look, only a very slight nod in return.

"My name is Aburame Shino, as you have been informed. I am the Heir to the Aburame clan and wish to be a great leader for the clan. I...like different species of insects. I dislike those who kill bugs for no reason other than they are 'different looking.' or those that judge others without prior knowledge." Naruto smiled at the boy. He had strong convictions. Plus he disliked when people judged others.

"M-My name is Hyuuga Hinata. I am t-the Heiress to the Hyuuga C-Clan. I like Cinnamon buns and c-c-confidence. I dislike hate and separations. M-My dream is to b-be noticed by a c-certain someone." Naruto smirked to himself. She left out that she was painfully shy but she seemed nice enough. Again Shino only gave the briefest of nods towards the girl.

The kids were about to continue talking about each other when a swirl of leaves arrived. Out of the swirl a rather tall woman with long black hair and ruby red eyes appeared. Her white and red outfit caught Naruto's eye as it was not the normal attire for a Jonin to wear.

"Nice to see that my cute genin are getting to know each other already." The woman smiled. Hinata suspected that this may be Kurenai due to her timely appearance and suggestion that they were _her_ 'cute little genin.'

"You must be Kurenai-sensei." The ever dull voice of Shino rang out. The woman turned to him and smiled softly at him.

"That's correct. I will tell you more but not here. Meet me at training ground Eight in ten minutes." Another swirl of leaves came by and once again the genin were all alone. Each of them shared a look before dashing off to go meet their Sensei.

* * *

**[With Kurenai at Training ground 8]**

The ruby eyed Kurenai stood in the center of her training ground silently. She was thinking of the past week's events. As customary she and all the other Jonin had found out their teams and their roles at the same so that they all could prepare and teach these kids properly.

Kurenai could not be sure what to think of her team though. She had the Hyuuga Heiress. A girl she had longed to help out and be there for ever since she had found out about her situation. Her home life was less than savory and had caused her a great deal of pain and suffering. And it was all because she wasn't the daughter those damned council members had wanted.

Next up was the Aburame Heir, Shino. In truth she had no idea what to think of him and his family. She held zero ill will towards them of course. They were splendid ninja and very good tacticians when it came to fighting and usage of their bugs. She just did not know how to approach or deal with Shino. Though she imagined that he would be very easy and respectful to get along with and teach.

Her greatest challenge came in the form of her last student. Naruto. The son of the accursed Snake Sannin of Konoha. She actually knew less about Naruto than the Aburame boy. Not that much about him could be known. She had heard nothing about this boy until she was assigned him. It wasn't really fair to either of them.

What was worse was how Anko had felt about the situation. Seeing as how she became branded by the Snake Sannin when she was a kid. Anko had been one of the first to actually find out about Naruto when he was younger. She didn't know how to feel about him but she felt a special link to the boy. Both had been abandoned by Orochimaru.

Soon Kurenai heard the shuffle of rushing feet coming towards her. She opened her eyes to see her three genin keeled over and breathing harshly. Well Shino and Hinata were. Naruto was breathing heavy but he looked as though he could run some more if he needed to. At least now she knew which ones were in good shape and which weren't.

"Glad to see you all made it in time." She smiled again at the group who had mostly recovered. "Now you all may have passed the Genin Exam but that is more or less just a qualifying test for the real test. Since we will be a tracking team that is what our test will be over. You have exactly two hours to find my trail, follow it without me knowing, and 'catch' me. Good luck!" Again the blasted wind picked up and Kurenai was once again gone from all sight and sound.

Shino was the first to act and sent a bug over to where she was standing. The small shift in his posture let Hinata know that something was wrong. Silently the girl ran through a few signs and activated her eyes, She frowned when the world around her became much more visible.

"Kurenai-sensei has left no trail at all. At least none that my bugs can detect." Shino stated flatly. Though that was to be expected. She is a Jonin after all.

"I can't find her chakra source with my eyes anywhere near us." Hinata meekly threw out. Again to be expected. Naruto walked up to where she was standing and took a knee at the spot. The Sandaime had taught him how to hunt for people before. If only a little bit. And from her foot print he could honestly say.

"I have no clue where she went." Naruto admitted sheepishly. Hinata and Shino sweat dropped at the admission. He sighed and stood up and turned to his new team. "I suggest we search this area first. Maybe she made it easy on us?" He asked with a smile and shrug of his shoulders.

Wordlessly the group took off into the forest surrounding the clearing and began to search for any clue their Sensei might have left behind for them to find.

They hopped from tree to tree and branch to branch. Each of them looking around with their special abilities. Shino spread his bugs all throughout the forest and had them looking for anything that could relate to Kurenai's scent. Hinata used her eyes to ferret out any kind of lingering chakra that may have been left. Naruto used what tracking skills he had to find if anything looked out of place or broken that may have indicated that she had passed through here.

It actually took them several laps around the training ground before anything was found. Naruto broke formation and landed next to a twig that had been freshly broken by the looks of it. He picked up on end of the broken stick and held it in the light. The wood was a light brown, something more akin to a tan.

"She's been through here." Both Shino and Hinata shared a look when they stopped on the branch above him. Perhaps the boy had gone crazy from not finding anything and suffered from wishful thinking.

"How can you be certain?" Shino drawled out above Naruto. The boy turned around and looked at his teammate, his green silted eyes shining in the light that reflected from them. Hinata swallowed slightly at the strange eyes, not that she had any ground to stand on in that regard.

"This twig was just broken. The wood is not stained or darkened. It is compressed meaning that someone stepped on it to force it to break." Shino mulled that over in his head. It did make sense but why would she be all the way out here? And where did she teleport to? Naruto took off in the direction of the starting location with zeal. Shino and Hinata followed, interested in what he may be on to.

When Naruto arrived at the spot he frowned. They had missed something. There were footprints leading from the spot into the forest. "It figures we didn't see it. We were looking for chakra and not actual tracks." He followed the trail with his eyes.

"That would make sense." Shino added in and followed Naruto as he walked into the forest.

"I'm s-sorry." Hinata looked down ashamed. She should have been able to see those she thought. Her father would be very upset with her if he found out that they had missed such an obvious clue. Naruto looked back with a small smile, barely noticeable by anyone without perfect eyes.

"Don't beat yourself up over it Hinata." Was all he said before facing front. Hinata blinked at him. It wasn't a compliment but more of a command. His voice wasn't it's usual bored tone but had the slightest hint of emotion to it.

Naruto smirked to himself. Maybe this making bonds thing would be easier than he thought it would. All it would take is a smile and not yell at them when they made a mistake. Kinda like the Old Man did with him. He took off into the forest and followed the tracks with haste.

Soon the three of them were baring down upon her. The tracks became fresher and fresher the faster they went. It wasn't long until the two others called out their respective traits and found her.

"Found her! Dead ahead!" Hinata called out, the veins on the side of her head pushed to their limit with the influx of chakra.

"Her scent is near." Shino stated just loud enough to be heard by his teammates. Naruto nodded and began looking around. For a while the tracks ran dead and he could see nothing that may point him in the right direction.

The three of the stopped moving on a branch. Each of them had a frown on their faces. They had indeed found her. All three of her in fact.

"It's not a genjutsu. Those are three real copies of her." Shino frowned deeper. He had heard of something like this but hadn't expected it to be used on him.

"Shino is right." Hinata added. Her eyes could see their chakra network, if only barely, and each of them had the same chakra and the same amount. If it was a clone she would have seen through that and could have pointed out the real one.

Three looked to each other. "We can't split up." Naruto said, earning incredulous looks in return. He sighed pinching his nose bridge in response. "Think about it. We are _genin. _We would a slim to none chance of fighting her as a three on one. In what universe could we hold our own on a one on one?" he finished gruffly.

Shino and Hinata could see the logic in that. Even if the copies were only a third of her power it would still be more than enough to take all of them out without a second glance. Shino moved closer so as to speak quieter.

"So then what do we do?" Hinata nodded in agreement and moved closer, despite her awkwardness. Naruto lowered his head in thought. He had a good brain when it came to these kinds of things, figuring out how to do things that is. It took him a few moments but he had come up with a simple solution.

Naruto knelt and motioned for the others to do the same. "Shino. I need your bugs to silently latch onto all three of them and begin to drain their chakra. If they are clones then eventually they will disperse." Shino nodded and sent the command to his bugs. "Hinata in the mean time I need you to watch with your Byakugan to see which chakra network is least affected by the bugs. That will be our Kurenai-sensei." Hinata did as she was told.

Naruto, Hinata, and Shino all stood and waited for the work to be done. It was hard enough to coordinate with the bugs while they were away from the body but getting them all in place and in action took some time and concentration on Shino's part.

Eventually though the bugs did move into position and began their task. Hinata watched careful at the systems of each of the copies. Her eyes glared harshly at each body, waiting for it to waver in any way. It took a second or so but soon she saw Kurenai.

"Over there." She whispered and pointed toward the Kurenai furthest from them. The group wordlessly took off and began their hunt of their Sensei.

Kurenai knew that her game had been played and that they were now on her trail. She turned to run but was surprised when a large wall of earth rose up in front of her. Soon Naruto landed atop the wall with a victorious smirk.

"Why are you so happy? A little wall can't stop me." Kurenai added. Naruto's smirk only grew wider.

"True but what of the bugs? You may be able to out run all of us but in the end we would find you."

"What if I just crushed them?" Shino frowned at his Sensei's words. He decided to step up and make his presence known.

"That would be your only option Kurenai-sensei. Only issue is that they are on your skin on your torso and legs. You would have to remove your clothes. Of course this would happen after you got away. You could go to your house and change in peace but now I have your scent. My insects could track you all over Konoha. Add to that Hinata and her eyes." Shino finished and pushed his glasses back up to his face.

Kurenai resisted the urge to smirk in pride of her students. They had thought some of this throw and landed and a very viable path that she would take. She would most _certainly_ not be stripping in public so her home would have to do. They could follow her in the mean time and catch her again. Then there was Hinata. Any genjutsu she used would be seen through.

Not to mention Naruto. Despite his appearance the boy knew a thing or two about avoiding or finding people and predicting the paths of people. A series of beatings had taught him that. She had little doubt he would not rest until he caught her.

Kurenai did the only thing she could at this time, with all of her exits cut off. She relaxed and began clapping. "Very good all three of you. I am glad that you managed to keep faith and find me. I am a little disappointed that you all could not see through the illusion in the beginning but that is expected."

"Shino, I am very pleased with your use of your companions. Due to your efforts you managed to keep a constant sensor in this area and were ready for anything that may move through here. If it weren't for you then they may not have found out which was the real me." Shino nodded at his Sensei's words, a slight pleased buzzing coming from his body. Kurenai turned to Hinata.

"Hinata, I am proud of the way you handled yourself during this session. You followed your teammates and helped when you could. You helped point them in the right direction every time they needed it. On top of it all it was thanks to you that the others knew which was me and could take action before I vanished again." Hinata's face reddened to something similar to a tomato. Kurenai turned to Naruto, who had just descended his wall of earth to land in between in his teammates.

"And last but not least Naruto. Good job on not being overly reliant on any special traits. You were able to point out a physical trail when no other trails were visible due to my concealment technique. Thanks to your simple tracking methods you were able to give hope and chance to the group and keep them going. Also your planing with your teammates is a wonderful trait to have and you managed to cut off my escape route with your jutsu." Kurenai finished with a smile. Naruto beamed with pride at being praised. He rarely got praised and enjoyed every second of it when it happened.

"Of course I could have just taken you all down anyway." Kurenai mused to herself, causing the three to frown and pale. "But that wasn't the point. Go home and rest. Tomorrow we start training as Team Eight." She smiled softly and, once again, vanished away in a swirl of leaves. Naruto silently made a promise to himself to learn that jutsu and use it all the time.

"Good teamwork. I will see you both tomorrow." Shino said as he turned and left the clearing.

"Same." Naruto said lazily making his way back to village then his home. Hinata simply blushed at the compliment from her teammate and hastily made her way home to her dad to share the news.

* * *

**[In the Trees above Team Eight]**

Kurenai appeared on a tree branch right next to another body. Her and the person next to her watched as the three genin left the woods. Kurenai looked over to see a tan face stuck in a frowning position. This slightly worried Kurenai.

"What's wrong?" The ruby eye genjutsu mistress asked her companion.

"Nothing. That's the problem. He is exactly like his father. Smart, cunning, a leader..." The person trailed off.

"Anko." Kurenai said softly. Anko tore her vision off of the retreating form of Naruto to look at her friend. "He isn't Orochimaru. He isn't anything like his father in terms of personality." Anko frowned, some of her purple hair falling over her face and chocolate colored eyes.

"Yet you mean. Remember Orochimaru was one of us for the longest time. Just wait." Anko spoke darkly. Kurenai frowned deeply at her. Couldn't she see past that? He is the son and not the man himself. Orochimaru deserved the hate. Not this innocent little boy who has to pay for the sins of his father

"Anko don't be like that. You two are connected." Anko looked up in confusion at her friend. Kurenai smiled softly in return. "Think about it Anko. Both of you were abandoned by Orochimaru and are forced to bear his sins. You and that little boy both."

Anko frowned the more she thought about it. Kurenai was right. She was always right after all. Her and Naruto suffered from a similar past involving the same man. That much was certain. Anko just could not shake the hate she had for the boy at the moment. He looked way to much like his father for her to get along with him now.

Wordlessly Anko hopped down from the tree branch and vanished away from sight. Kurenai watched her friend run away with a sigh. Anko always had a hard time dealing with her emotions and it looks like this event brought up some very unwanted ones. Either way Kurenai had to get back to her house. She had a training regime to plan.

* * *

**[With Naruto]**

If there was one thing that Naruto couldn't stand it would be walking down the street and getting glared at. Especially when he had no clue what he had done to earn such hate from everyone. Even the little kids glared at him! The Sandaime told him not to worry about it but this was quickly becoming to much for him to handle.

He had to figure out the reason today. Even if he didn't like the answer. He had to do it.

Setting his face in a fixture of renewed vigor Naruto took off down the streets that lead to his house. As he went by he couldn't help but frown at the condition of the houses. Every few blocks the housing conditions dropped. Pretty soon Naruto entered the worst part of Konoha and his home: The Slums.

Now it wasn't anything like one may think. These houses still existed in Konoha and as such had to be upheld to a certain degree. At least on the outside. From the outside all the houses looked good enough to be able to support a person to two. Seemingly a good place to live.

It's when someone looked underneath the underneath that all sorts of problems arose. This area just so happened to house most of the social outcasts and less desirable of society. Many disgraced Shinobi and alcoholics live here. Then there was Naruto.

He lived all the way in the back, at the very edge of Konoha. Completely isolated from human contact and any signs of life. In fact, if someone were trying to find him and were not told of where he lived they would never find him. Naruto hated living out here but it worked for now so he would accept it.

When Naruto got into his home he was a touch surprised. Sitting in his living room was the Sandaime. While him being in Naruto's house wasn't all that strange it was the timing that surprised him a bit. Normally the old man would stop at least once a week and since he had just seen him not two days ago it was odd. But Naruto didn't mind. He had a few questions that he wanted answers to and he knew that Hiruzen knew the answers.

"Hello Naruto. How did your day go?" The elderly man asked with a smile. Naruto frowned slightly before letting a short sigh leave his lips. No use in blowing his question off.

"It went good. I met my team and we passed our test." Naruto said, a slight tinge of excitement and joy in his voice. "Tomorrow we start training as a team." Sarutobi smiled. He remembered his own days with training as a team and all the joyful experiences it brought. He hoped it would affect Naruto the same way.

"Do you like your team?" Hiruzen asked plainly. Naruto put a finger to his chin in mock thought before answering.

"Well Shino is kinda quiet but extremely useful with his insect things. Hinata is really shy but her eyes can see almost anything and everything. Kinda wish I had something like that." Naruto sheepishly admitted. Sarutobi smiled but had other thoughts behind the smile.

To the ex-Hokage it seemed Naruto saw people as things to be used. A side effect of his childhood for sure. That and he hadn't had a lot of human contact before in his life. Team Eight would be just what was needed for him to grow.

"Well sounds like you have a good team. What of your Sensei?"

"Kurenai-sensei? She's okay I guess. Really smart and kind. She had red eyes kinda like the Uchiha do but without those little black dots. And she is really good at hiding!" He added emphasis to the last part. She had impressed him with how she had been able to hide that whole time and never even make a sound.

"Well she is a Jonin for a reason Naruto." The old man laughed and Naruto chuckled along with him before his face took a more serious look upon it.

"Old Man. Why do the people look at me with hate?" The boy asked in complete seriousness with a face so cold it could freeze the whole house if he wanted it to. Hiruzen opened his mouth to protest but found that he lacked the will to deny the boy.

"Naruto know that I can't outright tell you the truth. The Hokage had made it a law that I couldn't tell you but I can make you a deal." Naruto's eyes were the picture of concentration as the Sandaime spoke. "The law states I can't tell you until you become a Chunin. But I will let you know if you make it to the second round of the exams." Naruto frowned.

"The exams are still several months away. You are really going to force me to wait that long?" He waited a few moments and nothing but silence followed after showing that the Sandaime would not spill a single word. "Can you at least tell me something about them? My family I mean."

Hiruzen thought about. No harm could come from giving Naruto some peace of mind about his family. "Naruto, your father was a wonderful Shinobi. A genius of intellect and a prodigy with Ninjutsu." Naruto frowned after hearing that.

"Was? Does that mean he is dead?" The pale, green silted eyed boy asked. Hiruzen stood up and made his way to the door before turning around with a smile.

"I never said that. Maybe you will meet him one day." Hiruzen said before shutting the door. Naruto couldn't fight off the huge grin that threatened to split his face at those words. His Father had set an example of excellence for him to compete against and Naruto would be damned to lose. He would make his Shinobi Father proud and nothing, and he meant nothing, would be getting in his way.

'_Though I hope you never do._' Hiruzen thought sadly as he walked away. If those two ever did meet then Sarutobi ran the risk of Naruto falling down the same path. Orochimaru could be one very persuasive person when he wanted to be. And Naruto was still a very impressionable child who needed a parent figure in his life.

'_And God knows that this world could not handle another Orochimaru. Not to mention a younger, more intelligent one. Please God. Never let them meet for I fear it would spell destruction for many lives.  
_

* * *

**AN: And that's a wrap ****people!**** Once again thank you all for reading my story and letting me know how you feel about it. You are all beautiful people because of it. Anywho, the next chapter will be coming at ya'll next Friday so I will see you all then. Hope you enjoyed it and have a good day/night!**


	3. Chapter 3

**The Cycle of Pain**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Poll: Still up for two more chapters.**

**(Side Note: As of now three people are in a tie for the lead. They are Karin, Anko, and Tayuya.)  
****  
AN: Enjoy and I will see you all at the bottom.  
**

* * *

Naruto groggily walked to the training ground where his team resided. The reason for his lateness being that he had stayed awake all night thinking about how awesome of a Shinobi his father had to have been for the old man to praise him so much. Of course this eventually led to the thought of abandonment by his father and that had caused Naruto to slip into a slight depression and result in staying up all night.

Though Naruto was exhausted he was not about to slouch or let anyone take pity on him. The Sandaime put his faith in Naruto and he would not let the old man down. Plus now he had a team that was counting on him as well and he wouldn't let them down.

He smiled softly at that thought. He wondered if this was what it was like to have friends and people that cared. If this is what it felt like then he would do his best not to let that go and to protect them if necessary. Not to say that Naruto liked them yet. He was just happy they tolerated him and in turn he would tolerate them.

Needless to say that when Naruto had finally arrived (forty minutes late!) that Kurenai saw fit to give him an earful at that exact moment.

"Well look who decided to join us." Kurenai began in a very motherly like tone. "Honestly, your second day with your team and this is how you show up? Not only are you late but you look like you haven't slept at all. Imagine how your team feels? Knowing that you may or may not save them because you didn't arrive on time..." And she went on and on and...on.

It wasn't until Naruto shot her a glare that looked exactly like a green-eyed version of something Orochimaru would do. Luckily for her he sighed deeply realizing his mistake. "I am sorry Kurenai-sensei. I promise it will not happen again." This caused Kurenai to blink.

Naruto turned to Hinata and Shino with a slight bow "I am sorry to you both as well." Hinata blushed slightly at the respectful and formal nature Naruto was suddenly taking. Her and Shino had both seen the glare and mentally agreed they never wanted to be on the receiving end of one of those.

Shino pushed up his glasses before responding. "I will take you at your word Naruto." Naruto nodded to the Aburame before looking to Hinata. She merely nodded at Naruto and he took that as a sign that she also took him at his word.

"Yes, well do not let it become a habit. I can understand a few times but not constantly. We have enough lazy people in this village already." She said off handily thinking of a certain shadow clan and a one-eyed Jonin. "Anyway today we are having our first team training session. I will assign you three a regime and you will follow it. After that we will get together to rest and talk for a bonding experience. After that there will be more training then I will release you for the day." The three Genin nodded at their Sensei.

Kurenai smiled and formed two perfect Kage Bushins. She whispered instructions to them and let them go and grab their students. The clones had taken Hinata and Shino. Thus the real Kurenai took Naruto. They walked a few feet until they got to a tall tree. The Ruby eyed woman turned around to face Naruto.

"Naruto have you done this yet? The tree climbing exercise?" Kurenai asked in a questioning voice. Naruto looked at the tree and smiled.

"Yup!" To prove his point Naruto walked over to the tree and dashed up it. His training sessions on the tree to improve his speed did wonders for his chakra control. Not to mention his physical speed. Put the two together and he was able to ascend and descend the tree rather quickly.

Kurenai smiled physical. Mentally she had wondered where the boy had learned to do such a thing. She knew for a fact that it wasn't taught in the Academy. She also knew that this boy lived alone his whole life and never even attended the Academy so how would he know what to do?

"Very good Naruto. I had planned to start you on this so I could gauge your skills but it looks like I will have to move on to plan B." Admittedly Kurenai wanted to train Naruto herself. She hadn't been told a single thing about his abilities. Just that he had beaten the Uchiha single handily.

"Plan B" Naruto asked curiously. It was then that Kurenai gave him a sickeningly sweet smile as she pulled out a small whistle.

"Oh yes." She blew the whistle as hard as she could. "Now RUN!" She yelled. Startled, Naruto took off and began running around the training ground with Kurenai right on his heels. Every time Naruto would think about slowing down she would cast a Genjutsu to scare him and force him to keep running.

"You're crazy!" Naruto yelled through labored breath. When he turned around to look at his Sensei he was awarded with the sight of a tri-horned demon with bursting muscles chasing him.

"AHHH!"

* * *

Hinata looked toward the direction of his teammate with a face of worry. Not two seconds ago she had heard Naruto scream loudly like he was in danger. Hinata was about to move to go see what was going on when the Kage Bushin of Kurenai appeared.

"Where are you going Hinata?" Kage Kurenai asked the curious little girl in front of her. Hinata gripped her tan sweater tighter and brought her hands up to her face.

"I thought Naruto just screamed." The clone smiled at the girl.

"I'm sure he did. Now get back to training. That tree won't climb itself."

* * *

Shino paused on his tree. He had moved about half way up the tree when he had heard the pale boy scream. A part of him thought that it could be nothing. Another part of him thought that the most logical explanation would be that Kurenai-sensei had done something to him.

Just then an insect the size of a pebble landed on his nose bridge. This bug in particular was a tracker. He would place it on something or someone and it would radiate a signal he could pick on and interpret. This bug had been on Naruto.

_Chakra. Disturbed. Female. Chasing._

The insect relayed his information. They couldn't really carry a lot of information but Shino caught the gist of the story. Kurenai was chasing Naruto and had placed him under a Genjutsu to keep him motivated.

"Clever." He whispered to himself and continued to climb the tree."

* * *

Several hours of training had gone by and the rookies of Team Eight were completely exhausted. Naruto had spent all morning being chased by all kinds of nightmarish creatures and Kurenai. Hinata spent her time by working on getting up and down the tree she was assigned as quickly as she could. Shino did his training by simply sticking to the tree and slowly walking up and down, fighting gravity all the while.

Kurenai appeared before the group with a smile. The three kids were laying down, sprawled out in the grass. "Come on sit up. I brought us all lunches!" She said cheerfully. Soon, one by one, the three got up into a sitting position. All of them looked a mere second away from passing out.

"Ahh the first day of training." She sat down in deep thought, remembering her own first day with her team. But she lost her smile when she remembered that she was the only one left alive from her group. Shaking her head she handed out the boxes of food to each person. Each of them scarfed down their food with little regard.

"Well..." Kurenai said as she watched them all finish their food. "Why don't we start with how your day went yesterday?" She asked them and watched their reactions. Shino seemed to tense up ever so slightly. Hinata instantly looked away and Naruto let a small smile creep on to his face.

"I will start then we will go to Shino then Hinata and finally Naruto." She said with a smile. "I did nothing interesting or anything that I could tell you all about." The three Genin, even Shino, face faulted. Though it was true. They didn't need to know that she had spent all night convincing Anko not to hate the boy then spending the rest with Asuma.

"That was informative." Shino said with obvious sarcasm in his voice. "I informed my Clan that I had been placed on a team with Hyuuga Hinata, the Heiress of her Clan, and Naruto. Upon speaking of the latter's name I received many strange looks for a moment before they looked away. When I had confronted my Father of the ordeal he had said nothing but to keep an eye on the boy." Shino stated plainly. He saw no reason to hide anything. He needed to build trust with them as they would be watching his back.

Kurenai nodded grimly. She knew exactly why he would have gotten those looks but she couldn't say a thing. The law the Third had passed made it forbidden to talk about with anyone. Even other people who knew about it. "Well I am glad they were accepting of your new status." Shino nodded again.

"How about you Hinata?" The Hyuuga's face instantly fell into one of despair when she thought of previous night.

* * *

_[Flashback]_

_The excited Hinata quickly walked back home. Surely Hiashi, her father, would be happy that she had passed the test but also landed on a team with an Aburame. She gave the guards a brief nod when she passed them. The smiled at her and let her through without any troubles._

_The branch family did love Hinata dearly, even more so than her own family had._

_She had never acted like a Main house member, never used the cage bird seal on them. Heck she never even glared at them. __But sadly there was little they could do for her but be kind to her when they could._

_When Hinata entered the house her cousin, Neji, was there and waiting for her. A deep scowl on his pale features._

_"Lady Hinata. Lord Hiashi wishes to see you in her chambers this very moment." His tone was cold and emotionless as always. For as long as Hinata could remember __Neji had been very spiteful towards Hinata and took any chance he could get to make her life hell on earth._

"_Thank you Neji. I-I will go see him now." She said, trying to present an air of confidence from her body. Neji scoffed at her before storming away. She sighed one last time before building up her nerves to go face her Father._

_Stepping around __the wooden corner of her families compound she saw the silhouette of her father standing in his office, looking over the courtyard. Hinata sheepishly knocked on the door just loud enough to be heard on the other side._

"_I was told by Neji you wanted to see me?" She spoke quietly. Almost to the point of silence but Hiashi heard. Hiashi heard everything that went on in the clan, both inside the compound and out. He was silent for a few moments before responding._

_"Did you pass?" He asked abruptly, seemingly breaking the silence between the two._

_"Yes I did. I have been placed in Team Eight." Hinata mentally jumped for joy. She had yet to stutter or wavier in her father's presence. Of course his back was to her and he hadn't really spoken anything yet but still!_

"_Team Eight." Her father mused to himself. "Led by Kurenai if I am not mistaken." Hinata nodded at this. Not that Hiashi would see or anything like that. "__And who are your teammates?" He asked, finally gracing her by turning around and focusing on her._

_"Aburame Shino a-and N-N-Naruto."_ _She cursed at herself mentally __for her stuttering. Even more so when her father frowned at her for it._

_"The Aburame I approve of. If Shino grows to be anything like his father then he will be a skill Shinobi. As for the Naruto boy." Hiashi paused as a scowl crept on to his face. Making himself seem older than he already was. "I do not approve of him. Be cautious around him Hinata. If you start noticing weird behavior tell me. Sadly I am not Hokage or I would have you moved from that team."_

_Hinata wanted to ask her father why he had been so dead set against Naruto. She had met the boy for the first time today and he seemed to be a kind enough person. A little strange and lacking people skills but she couldn't judge him in that department. Every time she got around Mino, __the Yondaime's son,__ she passed out for God's sake._

"_Y-Yes Father." She bowed to him, accepting his terms._

"_You are dismissed till dinner. Congratulations on passing." He said in his usual draw. Hinata couldn't help but swell with pride at hearing that. That was the first time he had given her any type of encouragement __in over five years. Bowing once more she left the roof silently._

_She practically floated through the compound. Hinata glowed brighter than she ever had in a long time since her mother was alive._

_When she entered her room she jumped on the bed and screamed into her pillow. In short, she was on cloud nine._

_One thing did bring her out of such a stupor. Why did Hiashi hate Naruto? No matter how many times she thought of it she could not understand it in the slightest. But for now she was tired and would sleep on the subject. She laid down and closed her eyes as sleep found her._

_[Flashback End]  
_

* * *

Hinata snapped out of her memory lane trip and blushed when she realized she had zoned out in reality. "Umm my Father was...happy to hear about my team. He even congratulated me." Kurenai had to fight back a look of surprise on her face. She knew of Hiashi very well. And she did not like him in the slightest.

"I am very happy to hear that Hinata!" Kurenai exclaimed happily, causing Shino and Naruto to raise a brow at that. That seemed a little too enthusiastic for something as small as a 'good job' comment. "And last but certainly not least, Naruto."

The pale boy leaned his head forward and smiled slightly, not that anyone could see it as his hair had moved in the way, He raised his head with a neutral face. "Well not much happened. I went home and spoke to the Old Man about joining. He was happy that I had been put on a team with you Kurenai-sensei and that I was getting along with my teammates. Then he told me about my Father somewhat."

Kurenai paled slightly at that. Not that the others noticed as their attention was put on Naruto. "What did you learn of your Father?" She asked carefully. Hopefully this 'Old Man' didn't say who exactly his Father was and judging by the look on Naruto's face, he hadn't.

"He didn't tell me much. Just that he was a great genius Shinobi and that he is still alive! I hope I get to meet him one day. I still have so many questions but the Old Man won't tell me any more." He left out their deal about the Chunin Exams. He wouldn't dare pressure them into it. Plus they performed better if by their free will and drive.

Kurenai mentally breathed a sigh of relief. Whoever it was appeared to be a smart man and a cunning man at that. Technically what was said wasn't a lie. Orochimaru really was and is a genius prodigy and he is still very much alive and active. Though Kurenai knew that for them to meet would spell a disaster. At least not while was still impressionable.

"That is very nice to hear Naruto. Maybe one day you will find him." She stopped when she thought of something. "Naruto who is this 'Old Man'?" She asked seriously. What if someone was leaking information about the village or something?

"Oh! Just the Sandaime. Sarutobi Hiruzen is what other people call him. I just call him Old Man or grandpa." The other three members of Team Eight face faulted at the casualness that Naruto took with the elderly Hokage. Kurenai actually felt a little stupid for letting that pass her head.

"Makes sense..." She grumbled, causing Naruto to raise a brow. "Anyway, you guys have another thirty minutes to rest. I hope you use it!" She said before puffing away in a cloud of smoke. The three Genin looked to each other before falling backwards and passing out.

* * *

**[With Kurenai]**

Kurenai had teleported to the Home of the Sarutobi Clan as she had done many times before. This though she was not here for a clandestine meeting with Asuma. One that might result in a night of passionate... She blushed at her thoughts before deciding to seek out the leader of the Sarutobi Clan.

She roamed through the halls for a few minutes before eventually finding the correct door. She gave the door a slight knock.

"Come in." She heard the elderly voice call out. When she opened the door she was...surprised to say the least. The placed looked _exactly_ like the office in the Hokage tower. The ex-Hokage sheepishly rubbed the back of his head at her expression. "I kinda miss the place."

"I can tell." She said absentmindedly before shaking her head to clear her thoughts. "So Naruto told me you told him somewhat of his Father?" She asked seriously. She had a right to know these things damn it and nothing was going to stop her from finding out.

Sarutobi sighed slightly. "Troublesome situation." He mumbled under his breath. "Yes I informed Naruto that his Father was a genius and a very skilled Shinobi. And that he was still alive. Nothing more." Kurenai was again relieved. Not that she didn't believe Naruto. She just wanted to double check.

"Should we tell him? I know it's not the best idea but if he were to find out any other way then he may hate us for lying to him." Hiruzen pondered this for a moment, smoking his pipe. She had a point though the odds of him finding out from an outside source was very unlikely.

"You made a good point but no. If he were to find out and research who Orochimaru is he may discover that he is disgusted with that and fall into a deep depression or worse he may try to reach out to the man." Kurenai nodded. She believed that honesty would be the best option in this case but decided to believe in the wisdom of the Sandaime.

"And if he asks me about him?" A very real possibility born from curiosity if nothing else.

"Tell him that the Chunin Exams are coming up if he asks. He should get the meaning and remain silent." The elderly man smiled making Kurenai wonder what the Hokage had up his sleeve.

"What are you planning 'Old Man'?" She said the last part with emphasis. The Hokage blushed slightly at the familiar nickname.

"He explained that to you huh?" Sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. Kurenai nodded with a giggle.

"Yes he did. He seems rather fond of you." The elderly Kage smiled.

"I suppose he would. I am really the only one who was ever there for him. After every beating, stabbing, mugging. After every training sessions and all the questions that followed after. He reminds me so much of how innocent Orochimaru was before the death of his parents. I really do care for him." Kurenai couldn't help but to smile before she looked at the time.

"I am sorry Lord Third but I really must be getting back to my team. They should be waking up very soon." Hiruzen laughed heartily at that.

"Working them hard eh?" The ruby eyed woman smiled, her pearly white teeth brightening up the room.

"Of course. It is a Jonin's job to make sure their team is prepared for all sorts of events." Sarutobi waved his hand in the air.

"True enough." and when he opened his eyes she was gone, a pile of dust in her spot. Hiruzen sighed to himself when he pulled out his small crystal ball. "Let's see how the second round goes."

* * *

**[Training Ground Eight]**

When Kurenai arrived she had pulled out a little can with a red horn on top of it. Kurenai smirked at her devious idea of how to wake them up. She mentally counted down.

_1...  
2...  
3..  
Now!_

She pushed on the horn causing a loud high-pitched noise to pierce the still air. She could have fallen over and laughed at the reactions she got from the three.

Hinata's eyes shot open and she launched her body straight up in the air and latched on to the tree limb directly above her. Much like a cat would when scared. Shino instantly let his bugs out to cover his body entirely so that he was nothing more than a black mass. All just to block out that damnable sound. Naruto had leaped backwards and somehow managed to form an Earth Wall in front of himself despite still being asleep.

"Now that you are all awake and chipper it's time to train again." Kurenai spoke swiftly as more clones appeared and took their charges away. Once again Naruto was left with the real Sensei. This was something he desperately did not want.

"M-More laps Sensei?" He asked nervously. Kurenai gave him a wicked smile in return.

"Oh no. The laps were to test your general speed and endurance. Next we need to test muscle strength. So push ups it is!" She pulled out her whistle and blew into it. "Go go go!"

Naruto groaned and began his series of push ups.

* * *

Hiruzen watched the scene with a smile. It seemed that this group was going to get along rather well.

* * *

**[Two Months Later]**

Team Eight had continued with their various training sessions for a little over two months. To say that they were grueling and unforgiving would be an understatement. Each of them were worked to the bone and then some. Kurenai insisted that it was all in the form of being prepared. The Genin didn't think so.

Naruto was being driven to before more physical tasks. The constant running of laps had done wonders for his ability in the speed and stamina department. Add on that he did constant series of push ups and the boy was gaining strength quickly. Not to mention the chakra exercises. And Kurenai was deeply pleased by that. Naruto needed to become the front line fighter of the group. A combination of Ninjutsu and Taijutsu.

Hinata trained mostly in speed and chakra control. She was the eyes of the group, able to see or peer into anything that may be worth looking into. She did the tree climbing exercise regularly and even picked up the training style of Naruto. Namely running up and down the tree to build leg muscle and speed.

Shino worked the most on his Chakra control, capacity, and general toughness. He became, more or less, the 'feelers' for the group. Able to sense anything that may come too close and to keep and eye on his comrades or enemies at all times. He used his enhanced control and capacity to better control his insects and to give them more complex instructions.

Over the course of the two months the team had forgone the use of the afternoon for training. Instead they had picked up doing D-ranked missions to build up their Shinobi profile. The Genin found these 'missions' to be nothing more than menial chores and tasks.

They did everything from painting houses and fences, to cleaning up the local dog crap. The Inuzuka dogs were the worst. At least according to Naruto. On numerous occasions they had chased down a cat named Tora. This cat easily became their most hated chore. Damn thing had more than nine lives.

Eventually the group became beyond fed up with the chores and wanted a chance to prove themselves. A chance to show that they were ready to become full fledged ninja. Not some labor force for the common good.

In fact, that is where they were at the current moment. In front of Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime, for another mission.

"Lord Hokage." Kurenai bowed. "Team Eight reporting for another mission." Minato looked up from his desk with a smile. He loved to see the Will of Fire in a team. Especially one as young as they are.

"Very well. What will it be today?" The Genin cringed at that. Silently they were hoping to get a higher ranked mission.

"Any D-ranks left?" And just like that. All their hope went straight down the drain.

"Yes. In fact I think Tora needs to be captured again. If you want-" Minato was cut off by a young but firm voice from behind Kurenai.

"I am sorry to interrupt Lord Hokage but I believe that the team could handle a higher ranked mission." Naruto stated politely. Minato immediately frowned and glared at the boy when he finished speaking.

"Oh? I was unaware that you were the Sensei to the team." He responded coldly, causing Naruto to flinch. Kurenai mentally frowned. She had heard the rumor that these two did not get along. Well more like Naruto did his best to be polite while Minato just outright hated him. Why though she could not understand.

"Of course I am not Lord Hokage. I am simply saying that from my standpoint. The team could handle something more. I meant no offense to you or Kurenai-sensei." Naruto said through barely contained rage. The Fourth had always bared some kind of grudge against him.

In fact, Naruto could remember all the times Minato had the ANBU appear and taken him to jail under the charge of "Disorderly Conduct". That's what the public was told. When in private Minato would openly tell Naruto that the only crime he had committed was being alive. It was only by the grace of the Sandaime that Naruto survived and got any peace in his life.

"Hmph. Anyway in order for that to be true I need the word of the Sensei. Not some _Genin_." He said the last word as if it could physically harm Naruto. Like he was saying the word 'Monster' or 'Freak'. Kurenai thought it over some before arriving at an answer.

"If Shino and Hinata both agree then yes I believe we are ready." Naruto, Minato and Kurenai turned to look at the aforementioned parties.

"I b-believe we are ready." Hinata declared proudly. Albeit in a softer and quieter voice than normal.

"This is the most logically choice and thus I approve of it. We are needed to defend the village at some point and gaining experience now would greatly assist in that task." Shino added, pushing up his glasses. Naruto happened to notice that he seemed to be doing that a lot.

"Very well. There is a mission here I think would do you all some good. Go out, see the sights, do a mission and return." They all nodded at the idea. It did seem nice after all. "Very good. You will be going to Kusagakure and delivering a message to a team that will be arriving there from Kumogakure. You leave tomorrow." Kurenai accepted the scroll with a bow.

"Alright team. Outside we go." The team wordlessly followed their Sensei. Naruto couldn't help but cringe under the harsh glare that he was receiving from the Hokage. It kinda made him wonder who his son Mino would be teamed up with.

"You heard the Hokage. Rest up and meet at the front gate at 0600." And just like that. The damnable woman was gone in a swirl of leaves. Naruto let out a grunt of frustration. He hated when she did that.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow." Naruto said with a genuine smile and took off to go to his house. Over the two months he had become rather close with the others and even began trusting them with his life. For Naruto this was the highest level of respect as only the Old Man had earned this kind of attention.

While Naruto was leaping on the rooftops to his house his stomach rumbled. It wasn't a strong one but it was enough to let him know he needed something. So Naruto decided to stop at a Dango stand to grab some of the snacks to take home and eat. Hey he had earned a treat!

When he got there though he did not know exactly how to react to the scene. Inside the stand there sat a woman with a tan trench coat, a brown skirt and a mesh body armor. Her purple hair was pulled back in a wilder ponytail. She gave Naruto an eerie feeling in his chest from possible fear.

But this is not what frightened him. No, what scared him was the rate at which this woman was downing Dango. Stick after stick of the stuff vanished into that black pit of a mouth and she never even seemed to slow down any. It took 15 _brutal _minutes of this before the woman was full. It was then that Naruto decided that he did not feel hungry anymore.

"What are you looking at brat?" The woman called out. Naruto looked around and realized he was the only on in the stand. Sadly, she was talking to him.

"Nothing...Just...How do you eat so much of that stuff?" He admitted that curiosity had gotten the better of him. The woman just snorted indigently.

"Because Dango is the best stuff in the world!" Naruto sweat dropped at that.

"I mean it is good but not the best." A kunai flew past his face with dangerous speeds. Naruto narrowly managed to bend out of the way of the kunai, watching it with his eyes as it went. When his vision returned to the purple haired lady he cringed. The look on her face was pure murder.

"What did you say?" She asked deathly quiet. Naruto decided he was not about to be bullied by another Shinobi for no other reason than speaking his mind.

"You heard me." He spoke while narrowing his eyes at her. The silted emerald eyes positively glowed at the woman. The two stayed dead locked with each other, neither of them blinking or moving. Several tense minutes went by before the lady smirked and leaned back in her chair.

"You got balls kid. What's your name?" Though she already knew. Anko had watched him for several weeks now. Trying to find any reason to not trust him or any reason to prove he was just like his father.

"Naruto. It's a... pleasure to meet you miss?" Naruto inquired about the crazy lady.

"Me?" She feigned an insulted expression. "I am the Sexy and Single Mitarashi Anko!" Somehow banners behind her exploded in a show of smoke and confetti. The words written on the banners were the same she had just said. Both Naruto and the owner of the shop, who had listened in on the conversation, sweat dropped.

"Okay then." He paused for a moment "Well I'll see you around then." He gave her a quick bow before leaving the Snake mistress of Konoha alone. Anko watched him leave with very careful eyes. This had been more or less her final test for the kid.

'_Either you are a damn good actor or you really are nothing like that bastard' _Anko thought to herself with a smile. Kurenai was actually kinda right. They were both alike in the fact that Orochimaru had abandoned both of them for other pursuits.

* * *

Naruto flopped on to his bed after his cold shower. Not that he liked to take cold showers but that's all that he had. The landlord here had turned off the hot water for him. Something about 'saving it for those who needed it.'

As he lay he thought about his friends and Sensei. Shino could be a touch quiet but was really helpful in a pinch due to the infernal bugs. Shino and Naruto had sparred before and most of the time Naruto won but there was one time that Shino won by sucking all the chakra from his body and forcing him into submission.

Hinata was probably the most troublesome of all. She could literally see everything that was thrown at here. Naruto couldn't hide from her or even attempt to block her vision. Any type of smoke and she just saw right through it. Not to mention that she was fast on her feet and her hands with her strikes. Sadly it was never enough to beat Naruto. His mind just always found a way to beat her and Shino. Not to say they were bad fighters. Naruto was just better.

He had developed a bit of a complex from his pride in his abilities. Kurenai did her best to keep his ego in check but she was hard pressed not to be proud of all three of the Genin. Their training, combined with their clan training for Hinata and Shino, made them a well oiled machine. She would never admit it but she bragged to other Jonin about her team.

Anko herself grew interested in the team. More for Naruto but she was actually impressed with the growth the other two showed as well. It seemed like every time he took a step ahead the other two would be right on his heels, pushing him to push himself harder. It seemed that Naruto had made true friends among those two.

Perhaps the most proud of all would be the Sandaime. Naruto was quickly surpassing every expectation he had placed for him. He was making friends, training hard, working with his team and smiling more often now. Naruto had quickly proved that he was nothing like his Father was at that age and Hiruzen could not be more happy because of that.

Naruto closed his eyes softly and fell into a light sleep. The possibility of excitement tomorrow kept him partial awake for the majority of the night.

* * *

**[Outside Naruto's Window]**

A man watched Naruto fall to sleep. His eyes kept keen focus on his sleeping form as if he could learn everything from just looking at him. The man's glasses reflected the moon light causing the glasses to glint. His purple high collar shirt hid his lower face well but let his sliver hair shine in the light.

"Lord Orochimaru will want to know of this."

* * *

**AN: And there ya go ****and a few days early to boot!**** I hope you all enjoyed it. And do not worry about action. The story will be picking up and advancing in the next few chapters. As always thank you to the reviews and the Poll votes. If you enjoyed please review if not it's cool. Anyway, see you all next friday with another chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**The Cycle of Pain**

**Disclaimer: This may come as a shock but I don't own Naruto.**

**Poll: One more chapter of voting time left. In a twist of fate the polls have taken a new turn. ****A few people are now in the running for first place. The first place holder is...someone I wasn't expecting but would nonetheless love to write. Anyway don't forget to vote!**

**AN: Enjoy and see you at the bottom!**

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes only to come face to face with his worst enemy: The Sun. The damn fiery orb of light just loved to beam him right in the eyes. Especially when he was having a rather pleasant dream about how cool his family must have been.

He fought the beam of light for several minutes before finally conceding to the sun and getting up. "You win this time." He grumbled to no one in particular, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and letting a hearty yawn fill the silence of his home.

He stretched happily till his eyes caught hold of his clock. "Ahhh!" He shouted. He had a grand total of 30 minutes to shower himself, pack his supplies, and meet his team. He sped out of his bed and cloths and hurried into the shower.

He lathered on his soap and washed himself off. He dashed out of there naked as the day he was born. He threw on his outfit which consisted of a black long sleeve shirt, a dark sage green t-shirt over it. He wore the same colored sage green pants and Shinobi pants. He hastily shoved all his gear inside of his pack and blasted out of the door, intent on not being late.

He hopped from roof to roof, pushing his body to its limits in the rush to beat the time. His face became tight in concentration, his focus purely on the attempt to make it. "Come on! Don't be late!" he berated himself as if it would make him go any faster.

He actually smiled when the gates of Konoha came into view. Energy and emotion overwhelmed him at the last second.

"Yes!" He shouted victoriously.

* * *

**[At the Gates]**

Kurenai tapped her foot impatiently against the floor. Naruto was running dangerously close to being late for the second time. Normally she would just give him a slight scolding and a slap on the wrist. That would be under normal conditions. This was not one of those times.

Not only was this their first real mission. One that would vastly improve their record as a team and their renown, not that they were after that. But add to the fact the Yondaime had decided to personally see the team off on their first C-ranked mission added to the stress.

'_Naruto will be late in 3...2..._' Kurenai was cut off by a victorious shout.

"Yes!" Team Eight and the Yondaime all looked in the direction of the shout. Kurenai could have face palmed at the sight. It became quite obvious that Naruto had rushed his process by the look of his outfit upon arriving.

"Sorry (pant) Kurenai-sensei. Had to (pant) rush to get here." He bowed to his Sensei before realizing the Yondaime was there as well. "Sorry to you as well Lord Hokage." He bowed to the Hokage as well. Kurenai was about to say that Naruto wasn't late by roughly five or so minutes when Minato cut her off.

"That is no excuse to wake up half of the Village G_enin._ And perhaps you need your training updated if you can find enough time to be lazy and show up whenever you feel like." He growled out, making Naruto cower under the man. Shino and Hinata both shivered silently at the way their teammate was being treated.

Naruto backed away slowly as the memory of what had happened last time came to mind. Kurenai was about to speak up on Naruto's behalf when she sensed a presence coming to her. A rather calm and friendly chakra. Not to mention strong and vast.

Not two seconds later the elderly Sandaime arrived with Asuma in tow. Asuma looked as though he was literally dragged out of his bed and brought here. Hiruzen gave the squad a bright smile that seemed to warm up the icy air the Yondaime had set before.

"Hello everyone." Hiruzen greeted them all.

"Yeah good fuc-" Sarutobi shot him a death glare, reminding him that there were still children in the area. Not to mention two ladies. "Freaking morning." He grumbled out. The Sandaime smiled brightly at his son.

"Hello Hiruzen." Minato was the first call out. The Hokage's exchanged head nods. Hiruzen could tell that Minato was displeased that he had shown up when he did, saving Naruto further berating.

"Ah good morning Lord Sandaime. Hello to you too Asuma. Better keep good watch on that mouth of yours lest it get you in trouble later." Kurenai teased. Asuma blushed slightly and rubbed the back of his head causing Minato, Hiruzen, Kurenai, and Hinata to chuckle/giggle. Shino didn't because he simply did not find it to be so funny.

Naruto didn't because he didn't quite understand. He had no idea why his Sensei's words had such a profound effect on the man. One second he was positively glowing with confidence and pride and the next he was blushing and had an aura of submission. Naruto would look into this more when he got a chance to do so.

"Pardon me Hiruzen but may I ask why you are here?" The aged looked up to his successor with a smile.

"Same reason you are Minato. I wanted to see the team off on it's first serious mission." Minato frowned for a brief second. Every time him and Naruto got into a spat or anything of the sort the Sandaime would show up and act all innocent. Minato sometimes thought that maybe he was going too far when it came to Naruto but then he remembered Kushina and would be re-motivated.

"Well speaking of which we really must be off. Wouldn't want the team from Kumo to be forced to wait on us." Kurenai said with a smile. Hinata paled slightly, even more than she normally looks, at the mention of Kumo. While it was true that relations had improved with them recently Hinata still lived in fear of the Nation.

"Of course Kurenai. Have a safe trip." The Sandaime spoke sincerely. Asuma and Minato nodded in agreement and the soon Team Eight was off to The Land of Grass to meet their contacts from Kumo. The Genin of Team Eight all waved at the departing party that had gathered. Soon though the team was out of sight and hearing range.

Minato looked to the Sandaime with a foul look "Why do you always do that?" He asked with an icy tone. Hiruzen continued waving and staring at the backs of the group. Minato started getting upset that He wouldn't answer. Eventually though he did.

"Because your grudge against that boy is foolish. He has done nothing but be of service to the village." He started. The Yondaime already could feel his blood beginning to boil. "What happened with Kushina-"

"Don't you dare go there. She died because of that fiend. How many lives has he ruined other than mine? That man is the walking definition of Evil. Pure, uncorrupted Evil." Hiruzen looked away in shame. He had always felt that every death Orochimaru caused since he left the village had been his fault. All the pain and suffering Orochimaru caused weighed heavy on his heart.

Perhaps the heaviest weight would be the death of Kushina. When Orochimaru caused the seal to break and the Kyuubi to be let free. The death and destruction the Kyuubi had caused to the village and it's people were sky high. Not to mention the after effects of such an attack. Many were left with emotional scars that ran deep.

Minato had secretly let the information that Orochimaru had caused it leak out from the council to the people. Needless to say they were in an uproar by such a vile action. It was a smart move by Minato as it directed the hate away from his son and to the son of Orochimaru.

"Exactly. Remember Hiruzen. You won't be able to protect him forever." With that Minato left the Sarutobi Clan Head and Heir to mull over their thoughts.

"Hey Dad don't worry about him. Orochimaru is not your burden yanno? I think the Lord Hokage went a bit overboard with that last comment." Asuma patted his Father's shoulder, causing the elderly man to let a small smile hit his lips. It was a rare moment to see his son stand up for him.

He knew Naruto would stand up for him if he could. That only made his smile grow bigger.

* * *

**[With Team Eight]**

The group had made excellent progress over the past few hours. Kusa was actually not that far away from the village. Just past the Village jurisdiction, right on the outskirts of the forest. Right when grass met trees. It was here that the group decided to stop for a second. To catch their breath so they didn't look like complete vagabonds when meeting the other team.

"Hey why are we stopping Kurenai-sensei?" Naruto asked in a slightly whiny voice. Kurenai sighed and tossed him a rag.

"Because we don't want to seem tired or weak in front of the other team. What if they decide to attack us?" She inquired to Naruto and, by extension, the group. Shino was the first to come up with something to add to the conversation.

"Would they do that Kurenai-sensei? What would they have to gain from such an action? Surely they know that they would damage the already weak alliance between our nations. Not to mention I am sure their Kage would disappointed in them for their rash action." Shino inquired as logically as he could. His brain could not figure out why they might take aggressive action.

"Oh? And what if they plan on becoming missing nins? Or perhaps this is all just a set up to capture the Hyuuga Heiress again and give her to Kumo anyway?" Naruto gulped. He had heard of the incident with Kumo, who hadn't?, and he could honestly say he wouldn't want anyone to live like that. Much less a teammate.

Hinata almost passed out on the spot. The only reason she had stayed standing was the looks that both of her teammates gave her. They weren't angry or one of pity for her being weak. No they were ones of defense and determination to protect the Hyuuga if it came to that.

"I won't let them harm her." Naruto said lowly, his voice had released some of the pent up rage his body held from his treatment over the years. This made the air around him drop several degrees. All to show how serious he actually was.

"I concur with Naruto's statement." Shino added in with...fire in his voice.

"Well while I am happy to hear that we still have a few hours before the team gets here. Let's get cleaned up and get ready for them. We have two hours to spend so be back here at the end of that and do not go into town yet." Kurenai informed them and they did as they were told.

**[Two and a Half Hours Later]**

Team Eight strolled into the boarding town casually. Kurenai led the group, putting a strong air of confidence around her. Hinata was to her left. The poor girl was doing her best to put on her strongest face so that the Kumo nin didn't think she was weak. Naruto walked to the right of Kurenai. He wanted to be up here to foresee any attempts on Hinata. Shino brought up the rear, planting bugs on the others so as to monitor them.

Soon Naruto saw a team round the corner and start walking towards them. They were in a familiar formation as his Team. The leader bringing up the front had a white bandana on while wearing the traditional Jonin attire of Kumo. His three Genin were dressed in a black long sleeve shirt with gray pants. Over the shirt was a small sleeveless jacket. signaling they were Genin.

Kurenai and the Leader of the other stopped a good distance away from each other. Now that the Jonin of Kumo was closer he could see that his face had a deep scar going through his face starting from the left side of his jaw and going all the over his right eyes, which was grayed out. Naruto could say he felt uneasy around the man.

"You must be the team from Konoha." The man stated simply. His voice sounded like something one would hear from a smoker of thirty or so years. Very coarse and harsh.

"Yes my name is Kurenai and this is my team. Shino, Naruto and Hinata." She pointed to each member when their names were called. Each of the Genin stood proud when they were called.

"My name is Tarnki. These are my Genin. Tarakarshi, Maraby, and Kiun." The now identified Tarnki said. He too pointed to each member. The first being Tarakarshi. He was easily the tallest of the group, aside from their leader. He had a hammer on his back and slicked back orange hair. Maraby was up next, the female of the group. She had pale white hair that reached down to her shoulder blades. She had a small Katana on her back held in by a strap. Lastly was Kiun. He had his headband over his eyes with his brown hair falling over it.

"Nice to meet you all." She gave them a slight bow and motioned for her team to do the same. Which they did. Except Naruto kept his head up and eyes on the kid who had his eyes covered.

"Likewise." Tarnki bowed with his team. Kiun did the same as Naruto and kept his eyes locked on him.

"I have the scroll here if you have yours. Might as well get this over with so that we can head back home. I am sure you are a busy person." Kurenai tried to hurry things along. The look that Jonin was giving her was steadily making her feel uncomfortable.

"And if I wanted to play a bit first?" He smiled devilishly, his team behind him getting into a defensive stance. Kurenai narrowed her eyes at the man and readied her chakra. The others picked up in this and assumed a fighting stance.

"I don't know about your team but I know my team is not up for playing." Kurenai grounded out. Tarnki ran his hand through a scar on his face.

"A Hyuuga gave me this and I want to pay a Hyuuga back for it. Judging by the eyes on that one over there she is a Hyuuga." Hinata tensed heavily at this, her legs were beginning to buckle from the killing intent Tarnki was releasing.

Naruto couldn't stand that kind of talk towards a teammate. He had become very protective of his friends. "You won't lay one hair on Hinata's head."

At that declaration the entire group went into hostile mode. Tarakarshi moved his meaty arm up to grip the handle of his hammer. Maraby put her hand on the Katana and pulled it slightly out of the sheathe. Kiun assumed a very Jyuuken-like stance, confusing the others.

Hinata assumed the same stance as Kiun, her pearl white eyes blazing with activation. Naruto drew a Kunai and poised his vision on Tarakarshi. Shino let the air around him become filled with his chakra draining insects. Kurenai made no outward movement but readied her chakra for a group Genjutsu.

Tarnki shared a hearty laugh. "And who is gunna stop me? You?" He jabbed at the pale boy. When Naruto looked back on this moment he still couldn't explain what caused him to do this but he did. Naruto let his anger flow freely through his body. His eyes positively blazed at the man. Alas, that wasn't the worse.

When Tarnki looked at Naruto's eyes, his shadow moved behind him. Out of the shadow came the one and only Snake Sannin, Orochimaru. The Killing Intent being blasted from Naruto landed solely on the scarred Jonin. The shadow disguised as Orochimaru licked his lips maliciously. Tarnki soon found himself gulping harshly to ease the stress.

"Y-yeah whatever. He is the scroll." He tossed it to Kurenai who, in return, tossed her own scroll to the man. What had Naruto done to cause such a turn around in the man. As fast as they had arrived the Kumo team took their leave and left with haste. "Safe travels." He spoke before he got too far away.

"Naruto what did you say to the man?" Kurenai's soft voice caused Naruto to snap from his anger filled stupor and to look at his Superior. He lowered his head slightly when he realized he had lost control of himself. His cheeks tinted red with shame.

"I'm sorry Kurenai-sensei. I didn't mean to lose my temper. I just didn't like the way he was talking to Hinata." Kurenai's gaze softened on the boy. He truly had no idea what he did and, truth be told, neither did the rest of Team Eight.

"It's okay Naruto. Just please try and keep it under control for now." Naruto nodded. Kurenai turned to the rest of the group to address them. "We are going to head back no-" She was cut off by a monkey faced ANBU landed in front of her.

"I am sorry to interrupt but I have an urgent message from the Yondaime. He requires that Team Eight move with haste to assist Team Seven with a mission that had just become A-Ranked." Kurenai's eyes widened upon hearing that. No Genin team should have to face an A-ranked mission. Especially not one so green.

"Inform the Hokage that we will be leaving at once. Where is the mission location?" She inquired with haste. They had to get moving. Team Seven could be in danger. The Monkey ANBU handed her a scroll.

"The Land of Waves."

* * *

**[Several Days Later]**

Naruto was plain out exhausted. Kurenai had pushed them all to rush to their destination with speed and stamina they just did not have yet. Not to mention that Naruto had to carry Hinata for the last leg of the trip as the Heiress was simply too tired to carry on without stumbling. Luckily Shino had managed to keep up. Naruto didn't think he could carry both of them.

When they arrived at a tiny waterfront shack Kurenai held up a hand and ordered them to stop. "We're here." She spoke softly as if the past few days of travel had no effect on her. Which in reality it hadn't. Using Genjutsu as her primary attack style required her to be fast on her feet to avoid close quarters fighting.

Instantly the trio of Genin collapsed on the dirt floor. Each breathing hard and pale from the physical exertion. Kurenai looked back and felt a pang of regret in her heart. She had pushed them too hard in an attempt to save others. Ensure another team did not fall apart like hers had.

"I'm sorry." Was the lasting Naruto heard before letting the darkness claim his vision.

* * *

**[The Next Day]**

When Naruto awoke the first thing he noticed were his muscles. They were unbelievably sore and stiff. No doubt from the extensive running and physical strain the past few days have brought him. He slowly made his way out of the bed and to a standing position.

Well more like a supported standing position. He had to rest an arm on the wooden chair that was next to him. His legs felt like pure jelly when he tried to apply even the smallest amount of pressure to them. It seemed like walking was out of the question for the day.

Instead Naruto simply turn around and sat in the wooden chair, too tired to really do anything. The chair creaked with confirmation of the action. He figured he would just wait for someone to come to him instead of screaming or shouting for help.

While he waited he took the time to look around the room. Obviously the room was not of a high standard seeing as how the teal paint was chipping off the walls. The wooden floor creaked rather loudly whenever someone moved it and the windows looks to be about two seconds away from shattering.

Yes Naruto was indeed in a very poor place. Or a well placed Genjutsu. Either way it did not sit right with him. Before long his eye lids began to grow heavy and slowly began to fall to a close. And they would have if not for his Sensei opening the door at the last moment.

"Oh Naruto. Good you're still awake. I came when I heard the floor creak to make sure you are okay." Kurenai asked in her best caretakers voice. Naruto could easily tell that she was feeling guilty for her actions. He voice was very weakened compared to the normal strength it held.

"I'm fine." Naruto said through a strained voice, causing Kurenai to wince as if she had been struck by a physical blow. He didn't intend for it to be a harmful statement. Her own guilt had done that to herself.

"Well I am going to do the same thing for you as I did the others. I know you must be so sore to the point where walking must hurt. I am going to heal your body as best as I can so you can at least move around today and train some tomorrow." Naruto could have jumped for joy at that moment. Alas his body was far to mangled to do such an action.

Within moments of her sentence Kurenai floated over to Naruto. Her hands burst into green, soothing light that enveloped his body in a green cocoon. His body was soon put to ease from his aches and pains that had haunted him for the past thirty or so minutes.

When she was done she greeted Naruto with a smile, who eagerly returned it. "Thank you Kurenai-sensei!" The now healed boy declared proudly.

"You are very welcome. Come to the living room whenever you are ready." And with that she left the pale child alone for the moment. Naruto sighed to himself before gingerly standing to test his leg strength. They managed to stand, albeit a bit shaky at first. He let out a grunt of frustration before walking out of the room.

When Naruto entered the living room he frowned deeply. The first time he had frowned so deeply in nearly two months. His vision first landed on Shino and Hinata and some kid with a small dog were talking with a small boy who seemed to be crying about something. Kurenai was next to a lazy postured man with one eye. Then his eyes met his rival's eyes.

Naruto locked eyes with Sasuke, who was seemingly ignoring a pink haired girl next to him. The Uchiha held the same confident smirk that he normally held but his eyes held something deeper. Something Naruto could relate to. Hate burned deep within his eyes.

"So Sasuke, when we get back to the village, do you-" The pink haired girl began before getting cut off.

"Shut up Sakura. You're annoying me." Sasuke said as he walked away. Naruto seethed with barely controlled rage as the Uchiha made his way towards, all the while holding that same smirk. If Team Eight learned anything about Naruto during his time it was that he was very possessive and protective of his things. Teammates included. And seeing someone mistreat their Teammates drove him mad.

Sasuke stop directly in front of Naruto with his arms crossed. "Something wrong Idiot?" The room went silent at that. Naruto could barely stop himself from shaking with disgust at the situation.

"Yeah my problem is the way you treat you teammate over there." Naruto said through clenched teeth. Sasuke scoffed.

"I don't see how that is your problem. She is worthless and I will treat her as such. Much like you Idiot." By now both Sensei's were on their way to their star pupils but Naruto was set. As fast as one might blink Naruto popped Sasuke right in the nose with his closed fist. Sakura screamed at her hurt idol and Hinata gasped at her teammates actions. Kiba yelled at Naruto and Shino analyzed the situation. Kurenai and Kakashi pulled the two Genin apart. Naruto went silently while Sasuke held his gushing nose.

Once Team Eight and Team Seven were separated Team Eight decided to have a group talk. "Team Meeting everyone." All three Genin perked up to listen to their Sensei. "We need to talk about what happened in there." Kurenai started out. She was about to continue her speech when Shino interrupted.

"Pardon me Sensei but I do not believe we or rather Naruto did anything wrong. The way the Uchiha acted toward his Pink haired teammate was not acceptable among ninja. His attitude towards the Shinobi world is in serious need of being improved." Shino said rather bluntly. Hinata nodded at her friend's statement. Naruto looked away seeing as how this conversation was about his actions.

Internally he was berating himself about his behavior. He had lost control again when his Sensei had asked him to keep control on himself. What would the Old Man think if he was caught acting so rashly? Surely he would be upset with the boy.

"Is that how you feel as well Hinata?" Kurenai asked in a neutral and curious tone. The meek girl looked up at her Sensei.

"It is Kurenai-sensei. What Sasuke did was wrong and Naruto was right for standing up for her." Naruto for his part was moved. No one had ever so selflessly defended him with their words and creditability except the Old Man. Kurenai was about to speak when Kakashi decided to drop in on the situation.

"Yo." He greeted the group with a strange...eye smile? The Jonin stood lazily in his blue and green outfit. His head protector covered over one of his eyes which made Naruto wonder if the man had lost his eye in some way.

"Hello Kakashi. Is there a reason you are here?" Kurenai asked the silver haired man sternly. Kakashi sighed loudly, the stress of the situation beginning to hit him.

"I came to apologize for a Sasuke. See we ran into the Demon brothers and Zab-"

"-uza Momochi. Yes we know. We saw the report and that is the only reason we came here as fast as we did. Still that alone is not reason enough for Sasuke to be berating his teammate and picking fights with Naruto here. Despite their history together." Kakashi nodded dumbly.

"I know and I agree with you. I talked with him about it but he said the only way he would ever apologize is if Naruto and him fought." Kurenai looked at him like he had grew a second head.

"Do you have so little power and command of your Genin that they can walk all over you like this? I swear Kakashi if my-"

"I'll do it." Naruto spoke quietly. Kurenai stopped speaking to turn her vision to him.

"Are you sure Naruto? You have to be exhausted and there is no need to stoke the Uchiha's ego." Kurenai pleaded with her student.

"I won't lose." With that Naruto started walking back towards the house to which there was a large clearing before the forest turned to beach. Sasuke was attempting to run up the tree. He would get about half way up and fall straight back down. Team Eight plus Kakashi followed Naruto to oversee the match to ensure that no one got too injured.

Sakura sat high up on her tree branch and cheered Sasuke on to get the rest of the way up the tree. Kiba and Sasuke seemed to be about tied when it came to progress. "Hey Sasuke!" Naruto called out, causing both boys and Sakura to look at the pale skinned child.

"Are you crazy? I could have hurt myself!" Kiba barked out. The little dog, Akamaru, yipped in response. Naruto said nothing but kept walking towards Sasuke with a determined glare. That is, until Kiba got in his way.

"Hey I'm talking to you!" Kiba tried to punch Naruto in the jaw. Naruto simply danced around the punch and chopped Kiba in the neck, causing him to passes out. Sasuke smirked and began to walk towards Naruto.

In one dash Naruto had cleared the distance and tossed Sasuke against the tree he was climbing on. Sasuke let out a pained grunt and looked up. There was Naruto clinging to the tree above Sasuke without any exertion on his part.

"Still can't climb a tree eh Sasuke?" The Uchiha growled fiercely and ran up the tree to try and get Naruto. The snake like boy jumped off the tree just before Sasuke got to him. The Uchiha lost his focus and fell back down the tree, smacking his head off the tree on the way down, and landing flat on his back.

A split second later a foot came crashing down on the young Uchiha's stomach, forcing all the air out of his lungs and doubling the impact. Soon Sasuke was gasping for air like a fish out of water. Kakashi was about to step in when Kurenai held out her hand and shook her head. Kakashi sighed. Sasuke was going to be mad at him later.

Speaking of him, when he finally caught his breath back he stood up and glared at the boy. "I am an Uchiha. How dare you lay a hand on me." Naruto scoffed while dodging wild fists from said Uchiha. Punches and kicks were thrown but Naruto just bobbed and weaves out of the way.

Eventually Sasuke began to tire himself out. Naruto saw this and made his move. Dodging a right fist Naruto slipped to his right side and let the Uchiha's jaw feel the power of his uppercut. Sasuke felt his whole world grow dark and cold before passing out. Naruto smirked at the fallen boy.

"Just because you have a name doesn't make you strong. Training and becoming strong, that is true strength." Naruto stalked away from the scene and went into the house. He quickly found the same room he was in before and sat in the chair. Kurenai was right. His body did need rest.

And rest is what his body got. His eyes practically slammed shut when he got into the room.

"He is going to be pissed off when he wakes up." Kakashi scooped up Sasuke and brought him back inside to lay him on the couch. Sakura instantly dashed off her tree and back into the house with her precious Idol. Kiba soon came back to life and looked around with confusion.

"Hey Kurenai-sensei what happened to everyone?" Kiba inquired as calmly as he could. Kurenai looked at the boy with disappointment at first before realizing he may have just been upset at the moment and never intended for the punch to hurt.

"They went inside Kiba. We should go too." Kurenai put a hand on Kiba's shoulder and walked back into the house. She was too busy thinking about the mental state of her pupil to see the smiles both Shino and Hinata wore all the way into the house.

She didn't even sense the presence at the edge of the woods that was looking upon them.

* * *

**[Hidden Location]**

"Lord Zabuza. The Team from Konoha has summoned reinforcements to aid them." A feminine voice called out from the shadows, a hunter mask adored to the face. The Man named Zabuza looked to his partner with a grin hidden behind the bandages.

"More lambs to the slaughter." He said in an icy voice.

"But-" The voice tried to reason.

"Haku do not worry damn it. They are nothing but insects compared to us. More people means more space taken up. It will be harder to fight us in the mist without tripping over themselves." The person named Haku bowed low at the head.

"Of course. When do we strike?"

"Tomorrow."

_**-0-0-0-**_

**AN: And there you have it. I thought to myself "They showed me so much love last chapter. I need to give them a reward." So I sat down at my desk and typed out another chapter. Yes I know that it is a bit shorter but I wanted to save all the juicy fighting for next chapter. Yes I know wave arc is old and used up but I need Haku for future events.**

**I wanted to thank you all for the love last chapter. It solely insipired to post this chapter early. I hope you enjoy it and keep the love flowing. I hope you all understand that it will be a bit before I post the next chapter. Say Monday or Tuesday. See you all then and don't forget to vote!**


	5. Chapter 5

**The Cycle of Pain**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Naruto.**

**Poll: Last Chapter to vote! Make sure you go and vote for your choice before the poll closes. I will close the poll on Friday before I post the next chapter.**

**Hint: The person in first place is a female.**

**AN: Enjoy and see you all at the bottom.**

* * *

Naruto groaned when he woke up. He felt eerily similar to the day before in terms of soreness. Once again his muscles saw it fit to scream at him for pushing them to hard after only a day's worth of rest. But today was a little different from yesterday for a reason Naruto could quite put his finger on.

One thing was for certain though. He couldn't hold a thought in his mind to save his life. His brain was all kinds of fuzzy and throbbing. He found that moving any of his limbs would result in a stronger headache and more muscle pains.

Then it hit Naruto. Like the Konoha wall falling down on him. The Sandaime had gone over things like this with him. The effects of certain types and the after effects for when it starts wearing off. In short Naruto had been poisoned but by what and by whom he could not say for sure.

It took him several long minutes and a few falls but eventually he was able to stand on his own two legs without shaking so much. He made his way to the door and shakily turned the knob. He slowly stumbled his way to the living room.

When he arrived there it took every ounce of his strength not to puke up everything in his stomach at the time. In the middle lay a woman in a pool of blood. Most likely hers judging by how she was laying in it. She couldn't have been more than twenty or thirty.

Kneeling in the blood was a small boy with a black hair. He was sitting there and just letting the tears flow out of his eyes. His hands rested on his thighs and they were shaking like he was freezing to death in the room.

When the child heard Naruto he hopped up to his feet and clenched his fists. "Look what happened! This is all you and your stupid ninja's fault!" Tears began streaming down his face with renewed vigor. "Look what they did to my mom." His voice was quiet and distant.

Naruto frowned at the boy. "What's your name?"

"Inari." the now identified Inari said with a sneer. Naruto sent a glare to the small child that made his legs buckle with fright.

"Toughen up Inari." Naruto's voice came out like silk. Like being tough was the easiest thing he could do and yet made the most sense. Inari opened his mouth to speak before Naruto smacked him across the face. "If you think it will get easier from here on you are wrong."

"But how can I be tough!? Both of my parents are-" Another resounding crack across the face made the boy shut his mouth. Sadly, the tears just kept on rolling down his face.

"So? At least you knew who they were and could honor their memory." Inari started crying more. Naruto smacked him again. "Stop crying. Save your tears for when you need them. Instead of laying about and doing nothing why don't you try to get revenge against the people who did this?" Naruto asked with barely held rage.

"W-what do you m-mean?" Naruto let out low growl. Inari took a step away from the pale ninja.

"I mean why don't you get vengeance?! Why don't you want to strike back!? Why do want to just sit around and blame the world? Yeah your mom died and your father is gone but that doesn't give you the right to blame others. There is no reason you can't avenge them and be the hero. Make them proud Inari and they will rest peacefully in the after life." With that Naruto turned and went to walk out the door.

When he got outside he had to stand still for a moment. Moving too much left him kinda dizzy and unable to think. He had heard nor seen any of his team or Team Seven since he woke up. He vaguely remembered that they were here for some bridge. Naruto knew of only one bridge in the area so he would go there.

He turned his body to the direction of the bridge and began making his way there. Albeit rather slowly.

* * *

**[At the Bridge]**

Currently Kurenai and Kakashi were inside of a very thick mist created by Zabuza. Kakashi sported a nasty slash across his chest. Kurenai's body was littered with all kinds of bruises and small cuts, clothing on her shoulders were torn.

"How much longer do you think you both can last?" The ominous voice of Zabuza rang out through the thick mist. Kakashi had his left eye closed and his right open, letting his Sharingan soak in any visual clues they could use to find him. Kurenai used her sensory ability to sense out any movement. Though that was proving to be rough.

"Long enough to take you down." Kakashi called out confidently. Kurenai eyed his curiously from his words. At the rate they were going and the damage they were taking they would not last another 10 minutes, let alone long enough to win.

A thunderous roaring laugh was heard from all angles. "Bold words." And just like that. A giant metal sword came out of no where, aiming right at Kurenai's midsection. Kakashi turned just in time to see the blade meet her stomach.

The two halves of her body became separated in an instant. Zabuza looked at Kakashi with a confident smirk hidden behind his bandages. "One down. One to go." Kakashi stood completely paralyzed. He could not believe he just let another comrade die. Right in front of him none the less.

The mist around Zabuza thickened, consuming him whole. Kakashi calmed himself. He was now in ANBU mode. There could be no failure. No retreat. Only success and that's exactly what he planned to get. For Kurenai.

* * *

**[In an Ice Dome]**

Things were not looking good in the slightest. The mysterious masked person had successfully trapped them in some weird kind of dome made up of self repairing Ice mirrors. The masked enemy appeared in every single one of the mirrors.

Sasuke and Kiba looked around the place with trepidation. They had no idea what these mirrors did but it would be a safe bet to assume that they weren't a good thing. Kiba and his partner Akamaru looked around furiously, looking for any chance of exit.

"There is no escape." The voice calmly called out. Kiba growled at the mirrors. Sasuke stayed quiet for the most part. In fact he was doing something he deeply hated. He was regretting something. He regretted poisoning Naruto before he left so he could have all the glory. He could really have used him in this fight.

"We'll see about that! Right Akamaru?" The dog yipped not two seconds after that. "Shikyaku no jutsu!" The dog like boy called out, dropping to all fours and letting his chakra envelop his body. His appearance became much more feral looking due to the jutsu.

"Jujin Bushin!" Kiba called out. A puff of smoke later the small dog Akamaru had become a perfect copy of his master. Together the two stand on all fours. Kiba on the bottom and Akamaru directly on top of him.

Akamaru hopped off of his master and in a second the duo launched off the ground together. Kiba's voice rang out as the two Kiba's became spinning gray masses of chakra. "Gatsuuga!" Together the two masses of chakra sped through the mist at a single mirror.

The two collided on and spun on it. Little chunks of ice were being chipped off in every direction as the pair drilled into the mirror. When they stopped they hopped back to look at the damage. Much to their joint horror the ice simply repaired itself.

"As you can see. There is no escape. Please lay down your arms as I don't wish to harm you. I simply need you to stay out of Lord Zabuza's way." The mysterious voice called out softly. Sasuke listened intently to the voice. It was most likely a female by the sound of the voice.

"I don't know about the Bastard here but I don't plan on giving up!" Kiba declared loudly. He puffed his chest for extra emphasis. Sasuke looked at him. He wondered where exactly he was getting this extra confidence from.

"Hn. Whatever you say Idiot." Was all Sasuke grunted out. He didn't fully believe in himself but he would be damned if he was simply going to give up. That was not the Uchiha way. Kiba slapped Sasuke on the shoulder.

"That's the spirit!" In that split moment the person in the mirror lifted up their arm, three senbon in their hand, and let them all fly. Seemingly from no where senbon exploded from the mirrors and came down in a hail storm of metal.

In a matter of seconds Sasuke, Kiba and Akamaru became little more than pin cushions. Both Sasuke and Kiba struggled to rise to their feet. Every muscle in their body felt like it was on fire but they knew they had to press on. Kiba looked to Akamaru. The dog only had one needle in him and it was in his neck thus putting him to sleep.

Once more the hail of senbon came flying out of the mirrors. Kiba desperately attempted to use his enhanced senses and speed to dodge everything. He only succeed in dodging the first few bunches of senbon before getting drilled again.

Sasuke too attempted to dodge around them. However he brought a kunai out and blocked as many as his normal eyes could block. He too got dropped eventually. The senbon were simply too fast for Sasuke to block all of them.

From the outside it would look as though Kiba and Sasuke were dancing around inside the dome. Then suddenly their dance would end and they would fall to their knees. They would pant heavily and struggle to stand again. Then the dance would start all over again. This went on three more times before it stopped.

The masked fighter watched curiously as the Dog like ninja shakily stood. "Why do you keep standing. It is pointless to keep fighting." And much to the surprise of the seemingly female nin the Dog ninja smiled.

"Because in my Clan it is against the code for us to just roll over and die. But it goes deeper than that. If you are going to kill me then I am going to make you work for it! Gatsuuga!" Kiba launched off the ground in the gray spiral of chakra.

As if on cue the hail of senbon came flying out of the mirrors but this time nothing happened. Nothing bad anyway. Instead of causing a series of painful stabs they simply bounced off him. Kiba eventually slowed down to a stop, right in front of Sasuke to help him up.

"Hey Sasuke did you see that? They just bounced off." Kiba said confusedly at his discovery. When Sasuke opened his eyes he had to wipe the water from them. He would never admit it but he had let a few tears go. How could he not though? He was about to die and ultimately fail at his life long dream.

But now that his eyes were open he could see so much better. Everything looked crisp and clear. So focused and accurate. Kiba took a step back when he looked at Sasuke's eyes. A little worried that they had turned red all of the sudden. Well, till he actually remembered what that meant.

"Hey Sasuke your Sharingan is active!" The proud Uchiha could not contain the smirk that came with that knowledge.

"Now let's win." The pale Uchiha declared with pride.

* * *

**[With Tazuna, Shino, Hinata, and Sakura]**

Tazuna cowered slightly behind Shino. The battles going on ahead of them were the stuff that Tazuna could never prepare for. He could almost feel the energy that was being excreted off these two fights. Hinata and Sakura both felt the same as Tazuna. Shino did as well but did not show any outward signs of it.

"T-this is the real deal huh?" Tazuna asked in fear. The old man could barely stand the pressure of being in the situation. Let alone one as intense as this.

"Yes it is Tazuna. This is the way that Shinobi fight each other." Shino informed his charge. "But I would not worry if I were in your position. Technically speaking we have the advantage of numbers. Including two Jonin rank ninja."

"What Shino said is true. Both Kakashi-sensei and Kurenai-sensei are Jonin and are very hard to defeat in battle by a single Jonin alone." Hinata added. More for the attempt to make herself feel better than anything.

"Plus they have Sasuke! He can't be beat I promise!" Sakura called out confidently. She truly had faith in her self proclaimed Idol and love. Tazuna looked confused before facing the young pink haired girl.

"Which one is that again?" Sakura looked shocked at first but put on a smile when she realized that this gave her the chance to brag about him.

"Oh he is the one with the dark hair, deep mysterious eyes, and pale skin. He was the number one rookie of the year back at the Academy too! He comes from a really cool clan called the Uchiha!" Sakura rattled off in a matter of seconds and thoroughly confused Tazuna.

"Is that the one with the silted eyes?" Again Sakura jerked backwards as if she had been struck.

"What? No! That idiot is Naruto. The one that hurt my precious Sasuke." She said with hearts in her eyes.

"Pardon my intrusion on your description but why exactly is Sasuke precious to you?" Hinata asked quietly. Sakura put her finger to her chin to think.

"Because there is not a single flaw to him. Think about it. He has something for everyone to like! I personally like his hair." She drifted off into her dreamland. Hinata Shino and Tazuna all sat there and thought, while keeping aware of the ever changing situations of the fight, and thought on her words. Instantly all three of them came up with answers.

"He is mean." Hinata spoke softly.

"He does not value teamwork." Shino analyzed.

"He is way to cocky." Tazuna finished. Sakura looked so mortified that she was barely able to speak.

"W-what?! N-none of that is t-true!" Sakura said with a horrified expression. She simply could not believe that someone, anyone really, could see any imperfection with him. He was simply perfect. If Ino were here she would agree! Sasuke is perfect!

"Well I may not be Sasuke but I came to help." Said a somewhat tired voice from behind the group.

"Naruto!" Hinata cried out happily. When Kurenai told the team that Naruto's life signs were weak, from a sickness Hinata thought, she wasn't happy. Naruto had easily become the strongest member of the group and the much needed strength.

"It is good to see that your health has returned to you Naruto. The situation here is a precarious one at best. Kurenai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei are currently fighting against Zabuza towards the center of the mist. Sasuke and Kiba are fighting a masked fighter inside of that ice dome you see over there." Shino informed his teammate.

Naruto did not like the words at all. He didn't know of Zabuza but for him to be able to take on two Jonin would make him one deadly person. Nor did Naruto know of this Ice using person but if they could hold Sasuke and Kiba in there with little effort they must be tough.

"I see. Thank you Shino. Now I have to go save a stuck up prick and a dog boy." Shino and Hinata stopped him from going.

"Let us help you." Shino stated. In truth he feared for his teammate. Going in there alone was pure suicide.

"Shino we both know that is a bad idea. You aren't much of a physical fighter and I doubt your bugs could eat through ice." Shino thought about it and nodded. It was true. He was best off from here where he could monitor things with his insects.

"And Hinata we need someone here to defend in close quarters for when someone comes out of the mist. I doubt Sakura here will be of any help." But before Sakura could even respond Naruto was gone into the mist.

'_Good Luck' _Was the singular thought on their minds, except Sakura, when Naruto left.

* * *

**[Ice Dome]**

Kiba and Sasuke lay exhausted on the ground. Senbon were scattered about the place. Most were on the ground but a few were inside of the boys. At least that is what Naruto saw upon getting closer to the giant ice dome. What he didn't see, however, was the person in the actual mirrors.

Suffice to say when he entered the dome to rescue Sasuke and Kiba he was actually quite surprised. "Why are you here?" The calm voice of the mirrors asked. Naruto turned towards the mirrors once he realized that both Sasuke and Kiba were knocked out but not dead. An interesting course of action considering this person could have killed them.

"I was here to help them but they are simply dead weight right now." Naruto remarked rather calmly despite the fact that the people in the mirrors were multiplying. Soon every mirror had a person in it.

"Shinobi are but tools to be used and when they are no longer working they are no longer useful." Naruto nodded in agreement.

"That's the textbook answer sure but emotions do come into play. A well motivated person is normally better than someone who isn't." The person in the mirror calmly nodded.

"That is true. Emotions do not matter as long as the mission or will is done." Naruto crossed his arms over his chest.

"Is that why you left them alive?" He gestured over to the two prone bodies. The masked person flinched at that.

"They are no longer in Zabuza's way. Therefore I no longer need to kill them." Naruto actually smiled at that.

"You really don't have that Shinobi sense do you? You realize that by letting them live you give them the chance to grow stronger and possibly come back to kill you or Zabuza later? They may even kill your precious Zabuza. That to me would be reason enough to end their lives."

"You want me to kill them?" The voice could not believe it. This kid wanted his comrades to die. Naruto waved his hand.

"I won't let that happen now that I am here but I would have finished them. When it comes to defending what is precious to me I will not hesitate to do what must be done." The mirror person nodded. What Naruto was saying actually made a great deal of sense.

"I see. You are right. What is your name so I may remember it." Naruto gave a mock bow and a smile.

"Naruto and yours?" The voice nodded.

"Yuki Haku." Naruto nodded and dropped into a fighting stance. Haku raised a senbon filled hand and prepared to throw them. "I am sorry."

"As am I. Doton: Doryudan!" Naruto sucked in a breath and spat out a large pool of mud. He had already come up with a battle, hence why he entered the Ice dome so calmly. He knew that Ice Release is Water and Air. He knew that water was weak to Earth. Thus he would need an Earth move to bust the ice. Luckily the Sandaime had taught him one such technique.

Haku hesitated for a brief moment when Naruto called out the jutsu. But before Haku could react it was already far too late. A muddy dragon arose from the pit of mud that Naruto had spat out previous. The dragon let out a ferocious roar before flying out and smashing through the ice mirrors as if they were tiny pieces of string.

Sadly for Naruto his control on the jutsu, a side effect of the drug he was injected with, coupled with his weak mastery of the jutsu made the dragon fall apart moment after smashing the dome. Naruto watched as Haku was sent spiraling out of the mirror. Haku landed with a small thud just a few feet away from Naruto.

He walked over to Haku and knelt down. Naruto hand went and pulled the mask off the face to reveal a girl looking back at him. "So you are a girl. It was hard to tell seeing as how you wear those puffy clothes." Naruto smiled at the girl.

Haku opened her eyes upon hearing Naruto's voice. In truth Haku was seriously surprised that Naruto did not finish her off after the speech about doing the same to others. "Why do you let me live?" Much to her surprise Naruto smiled again.

Albeit the smile was a bit strained. That Earth Dragon jutsu was his ace in the hole, given to him by the Sandaime. He is lucky. If he had used any of his chakra to get here he would not have been able to do it.

"Because you let Sasuke and Kiba live when you could have killed them." It was around that time that they heard the crackle of lightning.

* * *

**[With Kakashi- Minutes before Naruto's arrival]**

The battle between Kakashi and Zabuza was a wild one. Neither of them were able to land any successful hits. Well neither of them have been able to land anything more than scrapes and bruises. Kakashi though was actually on the losing side of the fight.

But then again he had numerous disadvantages. One being that his Sharingan eye was open and thus he had a constant chakra drain. Another was that the blood he was losing from his cut was steadily making him weaker and weaker. And lastly the death of Kurenai.

That death had weighed heavily on his mind for many reasons. The main one would have to be that it happened right in front of him but he was unable to stop it. Not to mention that Kurenai had just made Jonin. And then there was Asuma who would no doubt be upset with him.

"Getting tired Kakashi?" The somewhat ragged voice of Zabuza called out. Kakashi had been his greatest threat as of yet since the Mizukage. This had been one hell of a test for skills and if he won he was sure he could face the Mizukage again. But Kakashi was stubborn and refused to die.

"Not even. I told you I was going to watch you die. Especially now that you killed a fellow leaf nin and Jonin." Kakashi's labored but steely voice answered back. Zabuza let out a tired and dry laugh.

"See if you can keep that resolve with your head split!" Zabuza burst from the mist and brought his sword directly down intending to cleave him in half. Kakashi's Sharingan caught this and slowed the events that happened next down.

The Sliver haired Jonin jumped backwards at the precise moment needed to dodge the sword. Zabuza grunted and attempted to bring his sword around for a horizontal strike when the sword slipped from his hands and went sailing towards the Genin and Tazuna. A scream was heard.

When the mist cleared Kakashi's eyes widened, so did Zabuza's. Behind The Demon of the Mist was none other than Kurenai. During the second swing she had lodged two kunai into both of Zabuza's shoulder blade, right into the joint, and effectively shut off his control of his arms.

"What the-?! I thought you were dead." Zabuza asked exasperated. Kurenai gave him a sickeningly sweet smile.

"What you both saw was a well timed genjutsu. I was simply waiting for the right time to strike but it seems I may have caused another problem." She finished with a sad expression. Kakashi too looked to be upset. "But we still have to finish you off. Hopefully the other two are still okay." Kurenai put two more kunai into both of his knee caps and forced him to the ground. She nodded to Kakashi before darting over to the Genin group.

Kakashi performed a few hand signs before lightning began to crackle from his finger tips. "This is it Zabuza. May you find peace in the after life." And with that he took off at blinding speeds to ram the lightning filled hand into his chest.

* * *

"Lord Zabuza!" Haku called out. She would not let the Silver haired Kakashi to end her master's life like that. She tried to get up and to dash over there. She didn't know what she would do but she had to block that attack some how.

However Naruto had other plans. When Haku attempted to run Naruto made a brief dash and tackled her to the ground. Haku kicked and struggled under Naruto. Both of them struggled to keep the other from accomplishing their goal.

Eventually the crackling of the lightning got louder before it was silenced. Naruto and Haku looked up to see Kakashi's hand deep inside the chest of Zabuza. His eyes were glazed over and his body became limp. Haku opened her mouth to scream but Naruto's hand clamped over it.

"Shh Haku. If Kakashi sees you now he would most likely kill you. I get that you are upset. You lost your master or father or whatever he was to you. But you need to be quiet." Naruto slowly lifted his hand off her mouth.

"He was my everything. He found me when I was young. He saved me from myself and protected me. Now I am nothing but a broken tool." Haku said with nothing but heart wrenching sadness.

"Haku, what makes a 'tool' useful in your opinion." Naruto asked quietly. He didn't really see people as tools anymore. He rather saw people, other than his precious people, as more of jutsu. Each one was perfect for a situation and if used properly can have wonderful effects.

"A purpose or something to live for." She answered simply. Naruto nodded and got off of the girl. He stood above her and offered his hand to her. The mist cleared right as Naruto stood up. Haku looked into his emerald silted eyes with interest.

"Then I will give you another purpose. Be my friend and my comrade. Help me achieve my goals and I will help you achieve yours." Haku thought about his offer. If she accepted then she would likely have to go back to Konoha with him. But what else could she do? She was no where strong enough to face the Mizukage to fulfill Zabuza's dream. Strange thing was she was never told who the Mizukage was.

But on the other hand accepting Naruto's offer gave her a chance to be with someone who understood her if only slightly. Plus he offered to help her achieve her goals which only consisted of killing the Mizukage and finding a new master.

Haku took his hand. "I accept Master Naruto." She said politely. Naruto blushed at the use of Master in his name.

"You don't have to call me that." Haku frowned. "Unless you want to. Just try not to do it in public. It may give off the wrong vibe."

"The wrong vibe?" Haku asked, tilting her head. Naruto sighed.

"We will talk about it later. Right now let's get back to th-" He was cut off by the sound of a wooden cane hitting the metal of the bridge.

"Ahhh I love it when a plan comes together. Thank you for killing Zabuza. He was all used up anyway and damn expensive." Gato said with a smirk, behind him a small army of bandits. They all looked around with smirks. Especially when their eyes landed on Haku. "Hey your that brat that broke my arm! Hey fellas kill her first."

"Can we play with her first?" A random bandit called out from the mob. Gato pushed his glasses up and shrugged.

"If you want." The mob gave out a howl of energy. Not two seconds later a bolt from a crossbow landed right in front of them. Everyone looked to see little Inari with a horde of pissed off villagers behind him.

"Time for some pay back!" Inari called out and not a moment was wasted as the horde charged forward. It was actually quite the sight for the bandits and Gato. To see sixty some odd people rushing at you with various sharp items, or just plain fists, practically foaming at the mouth. Their eyes practically screamed for their blood.

Needless to say it was a practical blood bath. Those that weren't outright killed jumped off the unfinished bridge into the harsh water below. Sadly, those men died too. Heck even Gato jumped off the edge instead of being gutted.

It was a proud day for the villagers indeed.

* * *

**[Back with the Konoha teams]**

Currently Team Eight and Team Seven were at Tazuna's house with a critical Sakura on the couch. When Zabuza's blade left his hands it went spinning over and cut Sakura pretty deeply on her stomach. Kurenai knew that it was her fault this happened so she had spent every second using all of her chakra to heal her.

Sasuke and Kiba and Akamaru were currently in the room Naruto slept in. They had all the needles pulled from their skin and were laid to rest. Truth be told their wounds weren't even that bad but Haku had hit every point needed to put them down harmlessly.

Speaking of which, Kakashi and the other two Genin from Team Eight were talking with the Ice user. Naruto sat next to Hinata and Shino while Kakashi and Haku sat at a table, each on the opposite end. "So Haku is it?" The Jonin asked simply. Haku nodded back.

"Yuki Haku. Yes that is my name." Kakashi nodded and rubbed the back of his neck.

"And here I thought all of your clan was wiped out. What are your plans now?" Haku instantly looked to Naruto. Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head but nodded anyway.

"I plan to return to Konoha with Naruto." Kakashi raised a brow at that. Why would she want to come to Konoha? And how was Naruto involved in all this?

"Well first things first, why do you want to come to Konoha?" Kakashi asked in an extremely serious tone of voice. This voice was nothing like the voice he normally used. This voice was all business.

"Naruto told me that Konoha values bloodlines. I am the last of clan and would be more than willing to re-establish my clan in Konoha. But I will only mate on my terms." Haku responded in an icy tone. Kakashi nodded. Many females went that route too and the Yondaime is and understanding man and would most likely allow that.

"Well I see no reason why that wouldn't be allowed. The Yondaime is a generous man and would allow you into Konoha. Plus he has a pretty good reign on the council so I am sure that they will accept your terms." Naruto's eyes narrowed at that. The Yondaime was not as generous as Kakashi was making him out to be. Haku caught that look and frowned slightly.

"At any rate it is late and we should all be getting some rest." And with that everyone split and went to their separate rooms. Kurenai stayed behind to watch Sakura and to clean up Tsunami and the blood stains. She was sad that the woman had died but was proud that she had become the symbol of pride for Inari.

* * *

**[On the roof- Late at Night]**

Naruto stared at the moon with worry. The events of today were simply a stepping stone to the real fights of life. The blood he saw today was but a taste of how things really worked for a Shinobi. It was his line of work after all. He would have to be a part of it at one point.

He heard a slight creaking on the wood. He turned around to see Haku sitting next to him and staring at the moon as well. "Do you not like your Yondaime?" she asked quietly. Naruto sighed to himself.

"It's not that I have a problem with him. It's him who seems to have a problem with me. He glares at me all the time and treats me like the scum of the Earth even though I have done nothing wrong. I live on my own. I train with one other person. And now I have a Team and you. That is a grand total of five people I even talk to. I'm not bothering anyone." Haku nodded in understanding. She knew what it was like to be persecuted for just being alive.

"I know what that is like. In my homeland there is a civil war going on right now over bloodlines. My Father was one of the people who hated and fought against bloodlines. My mother actually had the same one as me. But when my Father found out he killed her and tried to kill me. I used my power to kill him before he could harm me. I ran from my home and that's when Zabuza found me." Naruto nodded.

Though he wondered what it would be like to fight alongside his father. The cool things they could do together. Maybe they could become famous as a duo or something of that nature. "Naruto?" Haku called out quietly.

"Yes?" He responded, slightly curious to as what she was going to ask.

"Do you know who your parents are?" Naruto frowned at the moon. He was quiet for several minutes and Haku thought that she had offended the pale boy.

"No I don't but I hope to meet my Father some day. He is alive and that's all I know about him. If my Mother is alive then I hope I get to meet her too." Naruto responded with a slight smile.

"How do you know he is alive?" She asked, referring to his Father.

"My Grandfather of sorts told me. He said he is a famous ninja and is still alive somewhere. One day, when I'm strong enough, I plan to go out and look for him." Haku actually smiled at that.

"What are you going to do when you find him?" Naruto grinned and ran a hand through his hair.

"I haven't really thought about it. I think I'd punch him in the stomach for not being there when I needed him then hug him." Haku nodded.

"When that day comes I hope you will let me come with you. I owe you that much as per our deal." Naruto smiled. He really hadn't expected Haku to be so civil or calm about the situation. But he was glad she was willing to be his friend and comrade.

"Thank you Haku. We should probably get back before they start to worry." Haku and Naruto rose to their feet. Haku hopped off the roof and onto the ground. Naruto stopped at the edge and looked back to the moon.

"I will find you one day. I promise." And with that he hopped off the roof to the ground below.

* * *

**AN: Huzzah! Another chapter done and in the books. I honestly get too excited when I finish and always want to post it right when I finish it. But alas such is the curse of being an Author. What I do love is how much love you all are giving this. You are all wonderful people because of it. It is because of you all that I right this story and get the chapters out as fast as I do.**

**Enough mushy mushy stuff. ALERT: This is the last chapter that the poll will be up (Unless the voting ends in a tie which I seriously doubt). I will close the poll on Friday which is the day I will post Chapter Six.**

**Alright Ladies and Gentlemen stay wonderful, review often, and i'll see you all next chapter!**

**P.S: Fight Scenes are not my strongest point. If yall could let me know how I did I would appreciate it greatly.**


	6. Chapter 6

**The Cycle of Pain**

**Disclaimer: I STILL do not own Naruto**

**Poll: This is the moment of truth. The Poll has been closed and the decision has been made. But first let's see the runner ups.**

**In Third Place is: FemHaku &amp; Tayuya  
**

**In Second Place is: Anko  
**

**In First Place and the winner of the Poll!: Tsunade  
**

**I want to thank everyone who took the time to vote in the polls. If those who didn't vote are upset with the pairing then tough. Vote next time if you want someone to win. On a side note if the First Place winner causes too much of an uproar I may consider changing it. (Note: MAY). But that is a slim thing. Anyway thank you all again.**

**AN: I am sorry that I have posted this a day early. Real Life got in the way and I found that I would not be able to be on the site at all on Friday. Hope you're not too mad. See you at the bottom!  
**

* * *

The next days came fast for the Konoha teams and the Village itself. With the threat of Gato gone from their lands the entire Village became involved with he bridge. Everyone became unified and agreed to do what they could to help out. Within a few weeks the bridge was finished.

As for Team Seven and Team Eight they spent their time performing guard duties and training while outside the village. For the most part Team Eight did their best to avoid Team Seven. The tension between Naruto and Sasuke was almost so thick it could be seen like a fog.

Sasuke for his part was a mix of emotions. On one hand he was beyond happy. He had unlocked his bloodline ability and had a true test of it moments after the fact. He was angry with himself because he lacked the speed to make the most of it. With those thoughts in mind he dove into his training harder than ever before.

Naruto was pretty much just one emotion: anger. He had found out, through a spar which ended badly for the Uchiha, that Sasuke was the one that had poisoned him in an attempt to get all the glory. What made it worse was that Kakashi attempted to defend Sasuke's actions as if it was all just a misunderstanding.

Haku had a most interesting position. She had decided that if she was going to become trustworthy then she would need to help out. So that is what she did. She used her impressive speed to help builders at the bridge. She used her fighting skills to help Naruto train. The two had become a deal closer over the few weeks.

Which both were grateful for. Naruto never really had someone just sit and listen to him who shared his same pain. Haku knew the pain of being persecuted simply for being alive. And no matter how hard you tried you would never be accepted simply because of your blood or how you look.

Still he was simply amazed at how fast she was willing to bond with Naruto after Zabuza. But Naruto chalked that up to how she was raised by Zabuza. He must have always been around her and gave her orders and thus a purpose. Naruto guessed that he must have said something that made Haku see him in a Zabuza like light. Not that he was complaining.

Kurenai actually smiled more than she had in a while. During the moment of conflict with Zabuza, and the now friendly Haku, her team had performed exactly how she would have expected. Well Shino and Hinata had. Naruto had too but charging into a battle alone against an enemy of superior skill was not something could condone. Never the less, she was proud of her team.

Kakashi on the other was more worried about his team. While he was proud and happy of the progress and team work of his team he couldn't help but be concerned. They had improved but if Naruto hadn't shown up when he did then Haku may have finished off Sasuke and Kiba. He decided that, when Sakura was ready to go, he would step up their training.

As for Sakura she was lucky. The blade had lost most of its momentum by the time it had reached her. The blade left a nasty cut regardless but it wasn't nearly as life threatening as Kurenai had originally thought. That plus Kurenai's chakra control and skill with healing moderate wounds allowed her to survive another day. She just needed to rest for a few weeks and she would be ready to go.

Sadly for the Teams and the Villagers the weeks went by all too quickly. In what seemed like the blink of an eye the bridge was done. Both teams went to that bridge that day for the grand opening. To the teams it was a simple mission finished.

To the villagers it was their symbol of hope. To them it became the beacon of their success and their pride as a people. More specifically to a little boy named Inari it became his reassurance. Reassurance for his long gone Father and recently dead mother.

The next day after the celebration the teams from Konoha had to leave. Tazuna and Inari met them at the gates to say their goodbye.

"Are you sure you guys can't stay any longer?" Tazuna asked. He knew it was hopeless as they had a village of their own to protect. Kakashi sighed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Sorry Tazuna but we have to report back." Tazuna nodded dismissively. He knew that already.

"Then at least come and visit often eh? This place needs to be reminded of its heroes." Kakashi nodded before him and his team waved by to Tazuna. Team Eight followed moments after with Haku in tow.

"I don't suppose you guys will be staying either?" Kurenai giggled into her hand before flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"No can do Tazuna. Have to go-"

"Report in yeah, yeah. That Kakashi fellow said the same thing." Hinata giggled quietly to herself. Naruto put his face into his palm and sighed. "Still I hope you all will visit sometime."

Naruto smiled and spoke "I'm sure we will. I have a friend here to check up on." Inari blushed and kicked a stray pebble that was by his foot.

"Who? Inari?" Tazuna looked to his grandson as he kicked the rock. Naruto nodded to them both.

"Yep. He has one hell of a goal and I would love to see his progress on it one of these days." Naruto smiled a strange smile. It was full of life. It almost made him seem more...normal.

"Sorry to cut this short but we really have to go." Tazuna and Inari nodded at Kurenai's words. Team Eight waved, plus Haku, at Tazuna and Inari as they left to try and catch up with Team Seven.

When they were gone Tazuna knelt down to Inari's level with a smile. "You know, we still need to name the damn thing." Inari looked to the ground as if the name for the bridge would come out of the soil itself. Tazuna decided to throw his vote it while Inari thought about it.

"How about 'The Great Konoha Bridge'?" Inari nearly frowned at that name. It wasn't bad, not at all. It just didn't give enough credit to the one that had inspired him to go and collect the people. The one that had fueled Inari's fire now and for ages to come.

"I got it. 'The Great Tsunami Bridge.'"

* * *

**[With Team Eight]**

Team Eight walked back to Konoha at their own and relaxed pace. They had just been put through the rings and they had come out stronger because of it. Of course that didn't mean they were ready for the next one so soon. They were tired and wanted a solid night of rest within the safety of their own home.

Kurenai and Hinata were talking about Hiashi. The young Hyuuga would look down every now and then while Kurenai would put a hand on her shoulder to comfort the young girl. Shino would pitch in every once in a while. Mostly to assure Hinata, based on his logical reasoning, that she wasn't useless.

Naruto listened in with a smile. He had nothing to say really as he wasn't exactly the comforting type of person. He had managed to remain silent for most of the trip until Haku appeared next to him. "Naruto can I ask you a question?" Naruto blinked but nodded.

"Sure thing Haku." The girl seemed a bit reluctant to speak but eventually she did.

"What does Konoha look like?" Naruto put a finger to his chin to think.

"Trees. Lots of trees and nature." He really couldn't think about how it looked as he never really paid too much attention to it. He was a Shinobi. Not a Tourist.

"Are the people really as bad as you say they are?" This was her actual question. Granted she really did want to know what it looked like and from what Naruto said it was already better than her home land. She was just more concerned about how she might be treated,

"For me yes. For you no." He said. Haku looked to him in hopes of getting a better answer but Naruto refused to say another word about that. Naruto had just grown tired of being asked about a place he held very little love for.

"Thank you for your wisdom Master." Haku straightened her stance and walked side by side of her Master. Naruto nodded and kept walking. He had tried several times to get her to just call him Naruto but she just couldn't break the lifelong habit.

"Naruto?" Haku called out again. This time was much more quiet than last time. If Naruto had to guess it was because she didn't want to feel like she was bothering him.

"Yes Haku?" The girl looked to the floor for a moment.

"Where does your strength come from?" Naruto blinked at that. It was actually a pretty good question that he hadn't put too much thought into. Now, however, he was sort of put on the spot.

"I'm not really sure myself. I don't exactly consider myself strong because I don't believe that simply training makes one become better. Training is necessary sure but many people rely too much on pure physical strength to determine how 'strong' they are. Personally I think the strongest person is the deadliest. That person who people are afraid to test or fight. The person that wins without ever needing to fight." Naruto stopped to take a breath.

"I guess you could say I draw my strength or will power from my family. Never met them but I want them to know that I am doing my best to make them proud." Haku thought about it for a bit before nodding. He made a good deal of sense to her. She believed that true strength comes from wanting to protect precious people. Naruto became strong to impress and honor the memory of his precious people.

"Again thank you." She said calmly. She had a lot to think about once more.

Kurenai had slowed her walking to match up with Naruto. Hinata and Shino did the same. "So Team, How are you all feeling?" Naruto frowned, Hinata pushed her fingers together, and Shino just kept walking.

"I think it went well for...all of us." Hinata glanced at Haku for a brief second. The older woman smiled at her when she did. Hinata smiled slightly but hid it under her hair.

"I agree with Hinata. I think it was a nice experience." Naruto commented.

"I am in agreement with my teammates. The overall experience gained from these series of events will be immensely useful in future situations." The rest of the group nodded.

"Glad to see you all got something from this. When we get back I would like for us to rest a day before getting back to training." The Genin nodded. "Say Haku?"

"Yes?" Haku responded to the woman.

"When we return to Konoha we will have to report to the Hokage. Are you sure you have your reasons for wanting to join straight?" Haku frowned. Was wanting to follow her Master and not be hunted such a hard thing to believe?

"Of course. I am ready when we get there. I assure you that the Hokage will find some use of me." Kurenai smiled and nodded.

"Just wanted to make sure you are ready. If we move at a Shinobi's pace we could be at the Village in under three hours. Or would you all rather walk?" She was rewarded with Naruto taking off towards the village at full speed. Haku quickly dashed after him. The rest of the group shrugged at each other before following their example.

* * *

**[Yondaime's Office]**

"Team Eight reporting in Lord Hokage." The bored tone of the Hokage's assistant buzzed in. Minato looked up from his paperwork and hit the buzzer with a tired sigh.

"Send them in please." Minato put his feather tip back into the ink and leaned back in his chair. He had just finished the debriefing with Team Seven. To say he was impressed was an understatement. He smiled as Kurenai, Hinata, Shino and Haku entered. His perfect smile slipped slightly when his hit Naruto but he hid it well.

"Lord Hokage," Kurenai and her team bowed at the man. "Reporting our missions as a success." Minato nodded and open a book of mission records.

"Ah yes here it is. The first mission was a C-ranked delivery mission. The second was a A-ranked support mission." Kurenai nodded at them both. She was proud that her team had managed to pull both missions off with ease.

"Yes those were the missions." Minato nodded and stamped the completion seal on the missions.

"Right. Good job everyone. The check will be delivered to your addresses when a mail carrier nin is available." Kurenai cringed at that. She remembered when she was a Chunin and had to perform that job.

"Now for the most pressing issue in the room. Haku." Said female came forth and offered a slight bow. "I take it the trip wasn't too rough on you?" Minato asked with actual concern in his voice. Naruto wanted to snarl at the man. Kindness to a total stranger but not a home grown Shinobi.

"The trip went very well." Minato nodded. Haku seemed to be a respectable sort of person.

"Well I guess there is no point in dancing around the subject. I hear from my former student Kakashi that you want to join Konoha?" Haku sucked in a breath and nodded. The moment of truth had arrived for her. She had been generally nervous about this ever since it was brought up. Then he asked the question Haku had been asking herself this entire time.

"Why do you want to join Konoha?" Haku composed herself before answering.

"Where I am from there is a civil war going on. People with bloodlines are being hunted as if they were animals. I learned through one of your Shinobi that Konoha cherishes its bloodlines and protects them and respects them. I could think of no better place to put my trust in to and to entrust my future children lives to." Minato leaned forward in his chair and smiled.

"Yes that is true. Konoha tends to take great care of it's bloodlines. Next question, why should I let you join?" Haku frowned slightly. Always came down to what people could gain.

"I am the last of my clan. Konoha as a whole would gain a brand new clan to defend its walls with. I myself have been personally trained by Zabuza Momochi and consider myself to be rather skillful." Minato smiled and nodded. He had already planned to let her stay in the village. He just wanted to hear her reasons with his own ears.

"Very good. Well then Yuki Haku Welcome to Konoha." Minato said with a big smile on his face. Haku blushed slightly at the sight. The man was indeed attractive but based on what Naruto had told her she wanted nothing like that with him.

"Thank you Lord Hokage. I do have one stipulation to my joining." Minato raised a brow.

"Yes?" He asked curiously. Haku narrowed her eyes at the man.

"I will have children eventually and only with the people I choose. If you or the Council attempt to force someone on me I will not hesitate to disappear." Haku said with an icy tone that made the whole drop several degrees lower.

"O-Of course. No problem. We still have some stuff to go over. So Team Eight if you could excuse us. Good work today." Team Eight left and shut the door behind them. Naruto really didn't want to leave Haku in there by herself but he figured she could handle herself.

Soon the group split up to go to their individual homes.

* * *

**[With Naruto]**

Naruto walked casually on the streets of Konoha. He noticed the normal glares he received but he could honestly care less at this point. He had spent the last few weeks staying up all day and some times even all night to watch over the bridge and its builder. All he really wanted to do now was relax without looking over his shoulder.

Granted he still kinda had to do that here but it was mostly civilians and the like. So like any normal person would he just walked the streets. He intended to stop by that Dango place again to maybe see if he could meet up with that crazy lady. He couldn't be sure but he felt like she could understand him better than most.

"Hello Naruto." A tired and elderly voice called out. Naruto turned his head to see a man in bandages on his arm and eye on his body. He raised a brow at the man but kept walking.

"Uh Hello?" He had no clue who this man was. He did know one thing. He was downright creepy for sneaking up in him like that.

"I'm sorry. I should have introduced myself properly. My name is Danzo." Naruto nodded. He had heard of Danzo from Hiruzen. But for some reason the old man never told him much about the man.

"You're on the council right?" Naruto asked curiously. He kinda sorta knew that he was but wanted to be certain. Danzo nodded curtly in response.

"Yes I am. I actually came to see how your mission went?" Danzo asked simply. Naruto couldn't tell if the man was sincere but he felt that no harm could come from such a simple answer.

"As well as could be expected I guess. Zabuza was a bit of a pain though." The black haired boy admitted. Danzo smirked at that.

"Yes I suppose an A-ranked missing nin would be a bit troublesome to most everyone." Naruto couldn't help but to agree with that. "Also I hear you have managed to rescue someone from the clutches of Zabuza?" Naruto stiffened slightly at that.

"Yeah and what of it?" Danzo waved his good hand dismissively.

"I meant nothing foul I assure you. I am simply proud that a leaf Shinobi can see outside the normal pentameters of a mission. I'm sure that you rescued this Haku on your own accord." Naruto nodded dutifully.

"Yeah hehe I thought it would be better for her to live. The only bad thing she has done was work with Zabuza." Danzo smirked again while Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

"Very wise of you. Now Konoha has another clan and it is all thanks to you." Naruto blushed under the praise. People rarely ever praised him so this was new for him. A silence passed between the two before Danzo spoke again.

"Well Naruto I must be leaving you now. Thank you for your service and gift to Konoha." And with that the creepy man left as fast as he had appeared. Naruto smiled briefly before speeding off to go to the Dango shop.

Atop of a roof that over looked the street a man stood with a single eye that watched the boy run. '_Minato may not see it but I do. You are just a push away from flying off the handle. I will not let such a promising young Shinobi leave. Not again._'

* * *

**[Dango Shop]**

When Naruto arrived at the Dango shop he was actually a bit upset. Anko was no where to be found inside the shop. Though it looked as though someone had been there moments before he had arrived. That's around the time that he felt a kunai pressed up against his throat.

"Hello brat." Naruto frowned at her.

"I have a name Anko." The purple haired woman smirked at that. Over the past two training months they had gotten somewhat familiar with each other.

"Yeah and when you become respectable I will call you your name." Naruto raised a brow at that.

"What exactly would make me respectable?" He asked with curiosity in his voice. Anko quickly moved her blade up and slashed Naruto cheek, drawing blood. She released Naruto from her grasp as he turned around.

Anko licked the blood and smirked to herself "Maybe a better taste in food." Naruto frowned.

"Look I said it was good. It just isn't the best." She threw a kunai at his face. He dodged it swiftly with a scowl on his face.

"And that's exactly why I do these things to you." She smiled.

"Pretty sure you're the only one that loves it that much." He muttered under his breath, rubbing the back of his neck.

"What was that?" She asked in a voice that promised pain.

"I _said_ did you hear about my mission that I just got back from?" Anko went into the Dango shop and sat down. She motioned with a hand for him to come and sit down.

"No but I imagine that you'll tell me." She deadpanned. Naruto sighed but begun his tale regardless. He told her of every detail that he could remember from the trip. Most of the time she just nodded and sucked down more Dango. The only time she looked interested were when Naruto mentioned Zabuza and Haku.

When he was finished Anko leaned back in her chair and propped her feet up on the table. "Sounds like an interesting time Brat." She paused when she remembered something. "Say, aren't the Chunin Exams up soon?" Naruto shrugged.

"No clue. Kurenai-sensei never told us anything about that." Anko smirked and closed her eyes.

"I'll make you a deal squirt." Naruto frowned deeply.

"Yes?" He asked through gritted teeth. Anko snickered.

"Well with that attitude I just may keep my mouth shut." Naruto glared at the woman. Not that she could see it behind her eye lids. "Anyway despite your _rudeness_ I am still willing to offer it." Naruto sat silent, his patience being used up by the woman.

"If you do, by chance, make it into the Chunin exams and manage to get to the third stage I will personally train you for the month you will have off." Naruto raised a eyebrow at her offer.

"What exactly do you get out of this?" He asked curiously. Not that he was ungrateful but he would rather know if he was being used.

"Entertainment mostly but I do have another reason. I have something that needs to be passed down to you." Naruto's eyes widened slightly. He opened his mouth to ask what exactly it might be but Anko waved a finger in front of her.

"I will tell you when and if you make it. Trust me when I say that you will want to make it." Naruto shut his mouth and nodded.

"Well I still have to go see the Old Man. I'll catch you later Anko!" He dashed out of the Dango shop, his pale skin glowing in the sunlight. Anko shook her head as she watched him leave.

'_Only you Naruto could get away with calling the Sandaime that._'

* * *

**[Naruto's Apartment]**

"...So there I was! Jumping through the trees in a mad dash to get to the bridge and to save the day!" Naruto struck a victorious pose. He was telling a rather elaborate re-telling of his missions in Kusa and The Land of Waves.

Hiruzen for his part listened intently and laughed with the boy. He knew damn well that Naruto was stretching a few details but that didn't matter. The child was happy and proud of himself and that is what mattered.

"Did you save the day?" He asked, giving into the boy's childish fantasy.

"You bet I did Old Man! I rescued Sasuke and Kiba, defeated and rescued Haku, and helped defend the bridge!" The Sandaime laughed at Naruto as he danced about his room with elaborate dance of his victory. Naruto's voice practically dripped excitement.

"Well I am very proud of you Naruto. You did better than I could have ever hopped for. In fact I have a gift for you. I new jutsu for you to practice with." He reached into his red and white robes and pulled out a scroll. Naruto walked over to it and picked it up. He opened it and read.

"**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu**?" He asked. Sarutobi smiled and nodded.

"That's right. Its a staple jutsu for most of Konohagakure. In fact, the Uchiha Clan is very well know for this jutsu. As is my Clan." Naruto brightened up instantly.

"Cool! I get to learn a jutsu from the Old Man's Clan!" He caught himself and regained his composure. "I mean thank you." He gave a slight bow.

"Oh so you do have some manners then?" The old man taunted. Naruto looked up and stared at the man with an evil intent. Sarutobi met the glare with his own.

Several tense moments went on before the two burst out into laughing. "I almost thought I had you." Naruto commented sadly. Sarutobi rose to his feet and smiled.

"Maybe one of these days. For now get some rest as I must leave. Remember Naruto. I am very proud of you." The Sandaime vanished in a swirl of air. Naruto sluggishly walked into his bedroom and collapsed. A single thought on his mind at the time.

'_What would I do without you Old Man._'

* * *

**[Three Days Later]**

Naruto sat at training ground Eight with a smile on his face. He hadn't been doing anything but practicing the jutsu the Hokage gave him. He had actually grown rather curious to the reason his team hadn't done any missions.

Moments later Hinata had made her presence in the training area known. Naruto smiled at her as she blushed for being louder than a mere squeak. He somewhat frowned when he felt an unusual feeling inside his chest. His heart to be more certain.

Soon Shino joined them as well and Naruto could not be more happy. The truth was that he had actually missed the Bug user. His way of making things seem so much simpler often made Naruto happy as he had a tendency to over think some things.

When Kurenai showed up she wore the biggest smile Naruto had ever seen her use. "Well it's that time!" She spoke ominously. The three Genin shared looks of confusion before their Sensei clarified. "The Chunin Exams!" The three Genin stiffened.

"D-Do you think we are ready for that Kurenai-sensei?" Hinata asked curiously. The two boys nodded in agreement with her.

"Of course I believe in you all but the decision is not up to me." Seeing the confused looks on her Genin's faces she handed out three sheets of paper. "If you want to participate then you must sign these and bring them to the Academy in five day's time." And just like that. Kurenai was gone in her traditional swirl of leaves.

Naruto furiously wrote his name on the sheet without a second thought. Shino found this rather interesting and deciding to act on it. "Naruto do you feel your skill is great enough to join without debating weather or not this is the best choice?" he asked. No insult meant in his words. Just mere curiosity.

"No I don't, although they are pretty good among Genin, I wrote on there because I believe we have a real chance at winning this. I believe in our team. Don't you?" Shino merely pushed his glasses back up.

"It does not matter weather I believe in our team or not. I do not believe we have the necessary experience to compete with teams who are older than us." Naruto sighed deeply. His teammate did have a point. He always did.

"But Shino. Wouldn't this be the time to get that experience?" Hinata added in causing Naruto's head to shoot up with joy.

"Yeah Shino Hinata has a point. We could learn how other village ninja fight. How they use team tactics. How they-"

"Alright I concede to your point. But if any of us become seriously injured or find that they cannot finish we will pull out right then and there. Understood?" Hinata and Naruto nodded while Shino filled out his paper.

"Hey Hinata why do you want to join the Exams? Shino kinda gave his reason and I gave mine. What's yours?" Hinata finished writing and looked up.

"To make my Father proud." She state simply. Naruto analyzed her face with a frown. Hinata was putting on a brave face for the group. On the inside she looked to be about two seconds away from bursting out in tears at the mention of her father.

"Hinata if you don't want to do this then don't push yourself. None of us will bully you into going or look down on you if you don't want to." Hinata honestly contemplated his words. For some reason she couldn't help but feel drawn to Naruto when he spoke like this.

"No I promise I want to do this." Naruto smiled and patted her on the shoulder. Hinata felt confused at the moment. She loved Mino so why was Naruto making her feel all giddy? She would need to think about that later.

And so the three Genin filled out their sheets in preparation of the Exams.

* * *

**[Outside Konoha's Walls.]**

A silver haired man waited in the shadows to deliver a message to his master. He had been waiting for roughly an hour now but he knew better than to complain. A few moments later the Master had shown up. The silver haired man dropped to one knew to begin his report.

"Lord Orochimaru." He greeted. Orochimaru frowned at him.

"Kabuto. What is it? I am very busy so do not waste my time." Kabuto rose and pushed his glasses up.

"Lord Orochimaru do you perhaps have any children that are blood related?" Kabuto asked. Orochimaru gripped Kabuto by the throat and lifted him off the ground with his right arm.

"_Why _do you ask?" He asked ominously.

"Because...I have...seen him." He said through a strained voice. Orochimaru released him and began to think.

"He must have survived. This throws so much into play." He said to himself but Kabuto heard it regardless. "Kabuto I want you to find out if he is entering the Exams. If he is then insure he and his team makes it to the second round."

And just like that both Master and his assistant were gone. A new set of plans being put into motion.

* * *

**AN: And boom! Done with another chapter. I am sorry if it is a bit filler-ish but I needed this chapter to set up the future events. Again thank you all for voting in the polls. I hope the lot of you are satisfied with the winner. Anyways, the next chapter will be up by Monday. at the earliest. If you have any questions feel free to PM me.**

**Side Note: When I say main pairing I mean that is the pairing for the story when the two people meet. I feel as though the life of a ninja is one that could be cut short at any moment so Naruto may have a fling with a woman or two before meeting Tsunade. In the story that should be expected. And when I say a woman or two I really mean a woman or two. No more than that. And no they will not be in a relationship with him. Simply a fling or one night stand.**

**Please Review and I will see you all next time!**


	7. Chapter 7

**The Cycle of Pain**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**Pairing: After much thought about the poll I have decided to hold off on the pairing for right now. I want to see how the story is going to work out and if there will even be a place for a pairing as I do not want to ruin the story with a forced romance. I understand if you stop reading this story. There may come a time for a pairing, ****such as one with FemHaku or Tsunade,**** but as for right now I do not think it would be the best choice.**

**AN: See you at the bottom!**

* * *

Kurenai sat in a room with her fellow Jonin. Like most of the others in there she was a bit nervous. Maybe even a little bit more so than others. This was her first Genin team and as such was like her first impression among the other Jonin. Plus she didn't want them to get hurt during this test.

She snarled slightly when she thought about her team being hurt. She had learned from Naruto that Sasuke had used a mix of berries that he learned from Clan's book to poison him. This not only weakened Naruto greatly but made their mission twice as hard.

She had brought it up to Kakashi and they decided to talk about it when they got back to the leaf. The main reason was to uphold the image of Konoha in a foreign land to appear to be a unified front in front of Haku.

Till then she had just done her best to keep the two separated and to soothe Naruto out of his rage. For the most part it had worked. Although it would not have worked nearly as well if Haku hadn't helped out by just being around and training with him.

When they got back to the leaf however Kakashi had attempted to brush everything under the rug. The lazy Jonin merely acted as though nothing had happened and Kurenai went up in flames over it. The Uchiha had harmed another leaf Genin in an attempt to gain more pride.

She mused to Kakashi that he was being this way because of what happened with his teammates and the guilt he felt over Obito. All she got in return was a cold glare before he vanished in a swirl of leaves. She knew that was the cause and had decided to stray from Kakashi for the time being. No need to cause waves right?|

"Hey Kurenai." The gruff voice of Asuma rang out to Kurenai, pulling her from her own mental train. She smiled at the sight of Asuma, he was a well welcomed distraction from her disastrous thoughts.

"Hello Asuma." She responded curtly. The tan man took a long drag of his cigarette and blew it out the corner of his mouth.

"How are you holdin' up?" He asked suddenly. Kurenai let a barely audible sigh escape her lips.

"I guess I could be better. I'm just worried I guess." Asuma nodded after ashing his smoke.

"That's understandable. I think every Sensei in here is, even if they won't admit it. But its in our home. No better place to start them." He concluded sagely.

"That was my thoughts too but some of this Genin... They weren't even that bad when we were Genin." Asuma snorted but nodded his head anyway.

"Yeah but this year is different. All full of winners this one." Kurenai couldn't help but to agree with him. If her team was any kind of marker then this year would most certainly be full of winners and champions. They just had to grow.

"Yeah well I wouldn't be so sure." Genma spoke from the side of their conversation. Asuma and Kurenai turned to the Senbon chewing Jonin. Kurenai looked a little skeptical but Asuma seemed to know exactly what he meant.

"Yeah I know but a guy can hope right?" Asuma said in a defeated tone. Kurenai raised a brow at the sudden change in Asuma. He turned her and, upon seeing her confused, explained his actions.

"Sorry Kurenai but I heard that Ibiki is the first round proctor." Kurenai looked even more confused than before. Who was this person and why the hell did it even matter?

"I fail to see how that affects their chances?" She asked in a confused manner. Asuma chuckled deeply.

"He is a piece of work. Ibiki is the head of the IT program here in Konoha." Kurenai understood now. To even be in IT was a red flag in Kurenai's mind. But to be the _head_ of such a department? A wave of red flags.

'_Please be okay_ ' She thought grimly as her mind wandered off, thinking of what they might be doing at this moment.

* * *

**[With Team Eight]**

Naruto, Hinata, and Shino all arrived at the Academy. Various memories ran through Shino and Hinata's mind as they were brought back to the place of their graduation. The only memory Naruto had of this place was the fight with the Uchiha and that just made him angry.

"Something wrong Naruto?" Hinata asked him, jarring him from his memory. He gave her a thankful smile and shook his head 'no'. She smiled at him before facing the building. Shino pushed his glasses up.

"While it is a rather nice building to look at I believe we need to go in for the Exams." Shino said rather bluntly as he walked in. The other two soon caught up to him and were walking in step. Hinata noticed that something was off when they came to the steps of the Academy.

"Byakugan." She whispered, the veins on the side of her head bulged out. She was instantly granted a near 360 degree view of her surroundings. She stopped both of her male teammates and let a few people pass ahead of them to be sure.

"What is it Hinata?" Naruto whispered to her. Hinata just stood there and looked around. That's when she saw her cousins team go through the door. She then watched as the Uchiha and his team made it through. She blushed deeply when she realized the Sakura was not among them, instead it was Mino. The Yondaime's son had joined the Exams.

"The stairs and door had a genjutsu on them. I just wanted to make sure before I told you." She spoke just loud enough for her team to hear her. Naruto smiled and nodded.

"Good job Hinata!" Shino nodded in agreement.

"A logical move Hinata. Most certainly praise worthy." Together the Team made their way upstairs and to the door being guarded by two rather large Genin. Naruto held up a hand and walked into the room without their permission. Hinata and Shino walked in right behind them.

The two Genin looked at each other and shrugged. Most Genin at least stopped to talk to them. Seems that these Genin were in no mood to be stopped so they just let them pass. But bet your bottom dollar that they were going to give the next team hell!

When Team Eight entered the room they weren't quite sure what to think. People and Teams from all over the Elemental Nations. This place was nearly bursting with the amount of people inside of it. The Team looked around for any sign of their graduating class.

Eventually they did spot them. All of them were crowded around some older looking kid with glasses and some weird purple outfit on. There was something that Naruto didn't quite understand. Who the hell was the kid with the red hair and bright orange suit?

Together they walked over just in time to catch the tail end of the current conversation. "...word is that he has never been injured on a mission before." The group of Genin gasped. Even Naruto was a bit interested as to who could have done all his missions unharmed.

"What are you doing her Idiot?" Sasuke said aloud. The red haired boy next to him looked like her was going to retort till he followed his gaze and saw that it landed on the pale Naruto.

"How many times do I have to save you or beat you in a spar before you realize you are weaker than me?" Naruto taunted with a smirk, crossing his arms over his chest. Sasuke began to seethe when Ino latched onto his arm with mortified expressions.

"Yeah how dare you hurt Sasuke! And for your information you could never beat Sasuke! He is an Uchiha after all." Ino joined in, coming to the rescue of her idol. Naruto's smirk turned into a full blown smile.

"Is that so? Why don't you ask him." Ino looked up to Sasuke's face to see it riddled with shame. They knew, at that moment, that Naruto was right. They just refused to believe it. Sasuke violently shook his arms.

"Get off of me." He said dangerously. Ino instantly split off of him and returned to her normal position with her team. Mino scratched his red hair and frowned.

"Hey who are you?" He asked loudly. Naruto turned to the red head and felt his blood boil. This child looked exactly like the accursed Yondaime Hokage if he had red hair. The goofy look on his face made him all the more upset. Suddenly a hand landed on his shoulder. He looked up to see the same silver haired man from before.

"His name is Naruto. Naruto this is Namikaze Mino. Son of the current Yondaime." Naruto tore his gaze off the older Genin and stared at the Namikaze. Mino felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze and couldn't help but to feel that if Naruto caught him alone it wouldn't be pleasant.

Naruto turned to the older Genin. "It is rude to know ones name without saying your own." He gave him a small smile. Kabuto let a small grace his features. Already this kid was better than his Father in terms of violence.

"My name is Yakushi Kabuto." He inclined his head to the short Genin. Naruto nodded to him.

"A pleasure to meet you. May I ask how you know my name?" Naruto inquired. Both Shino and Hinata wondered the same thing.

"Ahh everyone knows about the Genin who never entered the Academy but still beat the number one Rookie." His explanation was one that was vague but still held it's weight in merit. Naruto accepted it and turned back towards Sasuke.

"Say where is your pink haired teammate." Sasuke huffed and turned away from him. Mino raised his hand to answer.

"Sakura was hurt on her last mission and when she came back she re-opened the wound. She couldn't make it so I had to take her place." Mino actually looked a little upset at that. Like he would rather have Sakura here than to have himself be here.

"Alright Brats it's time to begin! My name is Ibiki and I will be the Proctor of the first exam. If you will follow me into this room we can begin the first stage of the Exams." The gruff and heavy voice of Ibiki called out, effectively silencing the entire room. Soon everyone got their rears in gear and hurried to their marked seats.

The testing room was large enough and the seats were placed out randomly so that no one would be placed next to someone in their team or even close to a team member. A smart plan but judging by the way everything looked than this would be a written test.

"This will be a written portion..." Naruto mentally patted himself on the back for guessing that. He listened intently to the words the man spewed out and tried to find the rhythm to them. Apparently you had to cheat but you couldn't get caught. And it was just his luck that he got stuck next to the Namikaze.

"Begin." Naruto heard that word loud and clear, but he sorely wished he hadn't. For when he turned his paper over he couldn't help but to groan. Some of the questions on here were absolutely crazy hard or to difficult to decipher.

'_What the hell is this?! "If Ninja A uses a Katon Jutsu on Ninja B from point X, will the Jutsu have enough time to fully develop before impacting?"' _How the hell was someone supposed to answer that? There were so many variables it was nuts. Like how skilled the person was or their nature or the amount of chakra etc.

Granted Naruto did know a few of the questions. A few math ones and some Science ones he figured out rather easily. But the rest were just...far to much for him to even think about handling. He could only hope that his team was doing better.

**-0-**

This test was a mediocre thing for Shino. He had made out the purpose of this test the moment the rules were explained to him. He had to cheat for vital information but he could not get caught. If he did then his team and him would suffer for it.

So Shino set out to cheat. He knew some answers but not nearly enough to know everything and information was vital. He needed to find someone who had the smarts for this test. Someone who would know exactly what to put for the answers.

So to complete his quest he sent out a small bug that flew around the room. The bug looked for any kind of chakra signature that was way too calm for the situation. This would signal the bug to go to that person as they obviously had the answers. Either that or they were just too dumb to feel any sort of disturbance.

Eventually he did find such a person. A Genin was scribbling down answers at an impressive rate. The bug landed on the shoulder of this Genin and began to copy down the answers. Shino recalled the bug after it had copied one answer. The bug began relaying the information and Shino began writing.

**-0-**

Hinata was simply doomed. She had the brains to make it in school sure. She even had the fighting style to cut as the number one fighter of her graduating class. But put her in a room filled with pressure, Mino, Naruto, and a creepy Proctor and she was bound to freeze.

She had actually smiled when she thought of Mino and Naruto. She would often compare the two boys when no one was around. Mino had a wonderful smile but Naruto's smile was one that showed strength despite the pain. Mino was just a kind person while Naruto was kind because he knew what it was like to be harmed.

She shook her head. Now was not the time to get lost in dreamland about the two most prominent men in her life. She actually only really had Naruto. Mino was nice sure but Hinata could not remember a single day in which Mino had even noticed her or anything. Like it was all some test to him.

Test! She had a test to do. She quickly activated her Byakugan and leaned her head forward so her hair covered up her eyes. She looked around in search of answers. It seemed that Shino had found a person with the answers which made Hinata feel better. This way it was more like team work than cheating.

**-0-**

A few others were able to catch on to the flow and underlying meaning of the test. Sasuke was on of these people. He used his bloodline the Sharingan to observe the movements of the pencil of a Genin who seemed to know the answers by heart.

Another such Genin was Sabaku Gaara. He had used his sand to form a third eye and observe the room. Of course they were all just worthless meat bags but he had to pass this section of the test to advance so this would have to do. His third eye picked out a Genin that a bug was flying around. His eye transmitted the information to its host.

**-0-**

"Time for the Tenth Question." The same gruff voice from before called out over the quiet room. Naruto looked up in a mix of shock and disappointment. He was shocked that the end of the test came so quickly and that he couldn't finish his test. But it wouldn't matter as he had to finish the last question.

"Before I state the question I want you all to know that this question is optional and you have the choice to not take it." He looked around at the confused looks he was getting from the Genin. "For if you take it and you miss it then you will be a Genin for the rest of your Career."

At that very moment Kiba shot up out of his chair in rage. "Hey that's not fair! Some people have taken the Chunin Exams before!" Ibiki simply shrugged at the outburst.

"Sorry kid but I made the rules for this one. If you don't want to risk it then quit and you and your team can leave and try again later." he countered simply. Kiba sat down but the simple look of disbelief on his face was priceless.

Naruto watched with a disgusted look on his face as a few Genin raised their hands and were asked to be excused. Weakling in Naruto's mind. They simply couldn't stand the heat so they hopped out of the kitchen at their first chance.

Eventually all the teams that couldn't stomach the pressure got up and left, leaving only a small portion of people left. Ibiki looked around with a small sadistic smile. "I take it everyone else wants to stay?" He earned a round of nods from the rest of the group. He sighed to himself.

"I must be losing my touch. But you all pass." He gave them a thumbs up. Mino shot up like a bullet.

"What! What was the purpose of that question?" The Namikaze asked, completely lost as to what the point of the question was. Ibiki groaned as he threw his head back in fustration.

"The point is that, as a Chunin, you will be expected to hold sensitive information. This test was to see if you could handle pressure or if you flake when given the chance." There were a bunch of mumbles about how the Proctor was crazy or something of the sort.

Naruto looked around to see his team. Shino met his gaze and nodded simply. Hinata met his gaze and blushed before nodding. He was filled with joy for his team and his faith in them. They wouldn't let him down and that made all the difference in the world.

What's more is that he had passed the first round of the Chunin Exams. He was one step closer to making his "Old Man' proud by becoming a Jonin. Which was about the extent of his dreams at the moment. He just wanted to repay the kindness of the Old Man by doing the best he could in his life.

His was actually smiled when two canisters broke through the windows and exploded. After the smoke cleared a banner was left in its place and a very familiar person stood in front of it. "Well hello brats! I am the sexy Mitarashi Anko and the Proctor of the Second stage of the Exams. Follow me to the training area!" And with that Anko jumped back out the window she came in through.

Everyone just sort of stared at the crazy lady when she arrived and even more so when she left. None of them, not even Ibiki, knew what to say or do at this point. Much to everyone's surprise Naruto rose from his chair, walked over to the opening in the wall, and jumped out.

Soon everyone scrambled through the window after him.

* * *

**[Training Ground 44]**

Naruto sat with his team on the grassy ground outside of the giant caged area. He was happy to be with his team again after being in that cramped up room. It certainly was a strange feeling that he found himself feeling. He had never really missed anyone before.

The rules for this round were rather simple. Don't open your scroll. Steal another teams scroll that was the opposite of yours and make it to the tower within five days. However, once they entered the forest there was no way of leaving until the five days were up.

And there was the little thing that killing was aloud this round. Naruto had tensed when Anko had said that. The pleasurable vibes Naruto felt coming from some Genin made him a little sick. That and the fact that he had yet to kill anyone played a huge part in his nervousness.

Soon everyone had signed the consent form and received their scroll just as Team Eight had. Naruto looked down at his. He had a Heaven Scroll so that meant he would need an Earth Scroll. Seemed simple enough to him. But first...

"Hey Shino." He whispered to his teammate next to him. Shino turned his head slightly towards the pale boy in recognition. "Hold on to the scroll." Naruto said as he handed him the scroll.

"Do you think that is the wisest move?" He asked his friend. Naruto gave a brief smile.

"Yeah. If we run into trouble out there and end up losing the fight you would be the one person they didn't check. You are quiet and blend in rather well. Plus you have those bugs that are always on guard. Because of my skill set people will assume I have it." Naruto explained. Shino nodded in acceptance of this idea and took the scroll. He deposited it inside of his trench coat and it was gone.

"Hey you guys Team Eight?" A Chunin asked the three. They nodded to the man who grunted. "Follow me." Hinata, Naruto, and Shino watched the signs as they went by. It wasn't until they got to gate 17 they the Chunin stopped, told them to stay here, and left as quickly as he had come.

"Well this is...interesting." Shino spoke aloud as he stared into the ominous forest. Something just didn't feel right about the forest. Like the forest itself was death personified. Hinata noticed her teammates look and became a little worried herself.

"Yeah..." Naruto nodded his head in agreement. This place was certainly weird and had the stink of Death within it. Suddenly a rather loud bell was heard and the team rushed in.

The Second Stage had begun.

* * *

Team Eight had hopped through the forest at a nice and slow pace. Mainly because they didn't want to attract any unwanted attention from anyone quite yet. They still needed to form a battle plan after all and making one up on the fly was not the best for them.

Soon Naruto came to a stop on a rather large branch and turned towards his team. His face was one of rare seriousness that he used for only the most pressing issues. His team knew to listen. "Alright we need a strategy in case we get into a fight."

Shino and Hinata agreed but it was Hinata who spoke. "I think we should make a fake scroll." Naruto looked a bit confused.

"What for? And what would we even use for the paper?" He asked. Its not that it was a bad idea it was just hard to pull off with no prep time.

"Well..." Hinata said meekly, feeling defeated for not having thought out every detail.

"Hey Hinata relax its okay. It was a good idea. Now we-" Naruto was cut off by Shino's emotionless voice.

"I may have a solution for this problem." He held out his hand and his bugs crawled over it. Naruto was about to ask what exactly he meant but Shino's face told him he better wait. Much to his surprise the bugs began to form a perfect copy of the Earth scroll Shino had.

"This way we have the fake scroll in case we need to bribe our way out. What's more is that I will always know the location of the scroll thanks to the female in the center of the scroll. And if the need should arise the scroll can turn back into insects and drain at least one person's chakra before they get full." Shino said with perfect clarity in his voice.

"That's...awesome!" Naruto exclaimed happily. The idea was truly genius and covered every thing that Naruto or Hinata could hope for. "So who is going to carry it?" He asked his team.

Shino and Hinata shared one look before saying "You." With certainty. Naruto looked shocked for a second but realized he would be the best choice for this matter.

"Alright right give it here." He took the scroll and looked at it for a moment. If he didn't know any better than he would assume this was a normal scroll. He slipped it into his shuriken pouch on his waist and the three took off once more.

They actually traveled around for the better part of three hours before they found anything. That's when Naruto knew that someone had found them. A sense of impending pain came on to Naruto as he pushed his teammates to either side of him and jumped out of the way.

A moment later a large arm of sand struck down and destroyed the branch they were on. Team Eight assumed a defensive stance of a back to back to back pattern and waited for the enemy to show. They were granted their wish when a small boy with red hair appeared.

"Mother has asked for your blood and I will give it to her." the redhead said with conviction laced in his voice. Soon another pile of sand rose up and shot after the group. Naruto leaped ahead, using some hand seals and shouted.

"**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu**!" A massive ball of fire shot out of his mouth and struck the sand dead on, thus causing it to fall onto the forest floor below them. The red haired kid launched another wave of sand and Naruto countered it in the same way.

"Most do not survive this long. What is your name?" Naruto flashed him a small grin.

"Naruto. And yours?"

"Sabaku Gaara. This is Temari and Kankuro." Gaara spoke as his siblings showed up next to him. Both siblings were rather shocked to see another Genin standing up to Gaara with no looks over fear on his face.

"Gaara why did you take off like tha- Oh. You found someone." Kankuro's voice almost sound apolgetic. Like he was the one that was sorry for their misfortune. A rare thing to see in a forest of Death.

"Still Mother craves your blood." His sand began to rise. Naruto could already tell that fighting this Genin in the open like this was suicide. There was no way he could keep launching Fireballs strong enough to stop the sand.

"Who is this 'Mother'?" Naruto asked as he watched Temari and Kankuro cringe at the name. Gaara crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Naruto. Shino and Hinata moved a bit closer to Naruto to show their support for their teammate.

"Mother is the one in here." He pointed to his head. Naruto noticed that he had the Kanji for love on his head. Naruto couldn't quite place it but he felt there was something more to this Gaara fellow.

"Gaara." The blonde one known as Temari spoke up in a concerned tone. Gaara simply shot her a look that promised pain if she interferred.

"Gaara, what exactly does this Mother of yours want?" He asked curiously. He made extra sure that his voice was as calm as possible to avoid causing any emotions to rise from the Red Head.

"_Blood_" He spoke in an eerie manner. Naruto felt his spine twitch at the words. But he had to play along for the safety of his teammates.

"Who's blood exactly?" Gaara merely shrugged.

"Your blood, the Uchiha's blood, Namikaze's blood. The blood of the strong for they will prove my existence through their death." Naruto nodded. He could understand that logic. It was like trophies to prove something. Kinda like a hunter did with his prey.

Suddenly Gaara gripped his head and let out a cry of pain. "What's wrong Mother?! You don't want his blood? But he is here! AHH!" Gaara dropped to one knee and began hollering in pain. Naruto didn't quite understand what was going on so he kept his chakra ready to fire off at a moments notice.

Eventually Gaara stood back up with a calm expression. "Mother wants you to live for now. Says you are special to her and that you calm her. We will meet again Naruto because you make me feel alive." And with that Gaara jumped away. Temari gave Naruto a fleeting glance of pity just before hopping away with her brothers.

"That was...interesting." Naruto couldn't have agreed more.

"Yeah...Let's get out of here before other people come to investigate." And just like that, Team Eight returned to its normal routine of sweeping the forest.

* * *

**[With Team Seven]**

Mino could not believe his luck at this point. The first stage was easy enough, for him at least what with his lower IQ but never ending guts, but this stage seemed out right crazy. Now make no mistake. He knew Chunin were tasked to carry out some dangerous missions in some dangerous places. He didn't mind that.

What He did mind was the fact that this mission did not come with a warning label. One that might say 'Warning: You will fight Genin stronger than any other in this forest.' That would have been nice. Especially now considering that He was currently the last one standing against a supremely powerful Genin.

He remembered how the fight went too. First there was the large snake that had smashed its way through the forest and into him, leaving Kiba and Naruto to fight this single Kusa Genin. The snake had been a pain in the ass to defeat but with a well time **Rasengan** He had bested the snake.

Then he makes his way only to find Kiba and Akamaru knocked out and Sasuke to be shivering like a leaf before the Kusa Genin. It took Mino jumping in front of a large Snake and calling the Uchiha out before he got his motivation back and began to fight.

Sadly, even the combined efforts of the Namikaze and the Uchiha were simply not enough to even come close to harming this Genin. Which was completely absurd. Surely with two prodigies they would be able to inflict some kind of damage.

And as luck would have it, they did. Sasuke managed to trap the Genin to a tree with some Ninja Wire. He sent some high powered flame along the wire and burnt the Genin's face right off. Literally, the face peeled off. Though Mino sorely wished that Sasuke hadn't done that.

Because behind the flesh mask was a face paler than the moonlight. One golden eye stared right back at him. Purple markings lay directly underneath the eye. Mino felt sick just looking at it and it took all of his willpower to tear his vision away from it.

Within that brief little moment the Genin had launched some kind of Jutsu on Sasuke. Because when Mino looked over the Uchiha was on the ground shivering with two bleeding bite marks on his neck. "Why are you doing this?" Mino asked in an enraged tone. The man simply laughed.

"Why for mere enjoyment my dear Mino. Something for Sasuke to chase after." Mino growled at Orochimaru. He had learned his name while Sasuke was fighting him. Something about being a member of the Sannin. The only Sannin Mino knew was Jiraiya and even he wasn't this scary.

"Just wait Mino. When Sasuke awakes he will come crawling to me. And nothing you can do will stop it." Orochimaru gave him a sick grin before fading away into the shadows. Mino looked around and sighed. He would have to watch over his teammates until they awoke from their exhaustion.

Damn the Kyuubi for always making sure he was healed and never running out of energy. But at least for now he was safe. He summoned a few clones and told them to go out and search for wood and food. After all. He might be here for a little bit.

* * *

**[Team Eight]**

Naruto could not be more pleased with himself or his team right now. They had run into a team from the hidden rain. The hidden rain team obviously did not want to work it out so they insisted on taking the scroll from Naruto or they would kill them.

Naruto handed the scroll without much fuss and the team went about their business. However the scroll they had handed out was the trapped scroll. The look on the lead Genin's face when the scroll exploded into bugs was priceless. Heck it even made Shino smile.

The Lead became consumed in bugs and with it his Chakra went as well. Both Naruto and Hinata sprung in from the sides and disabled the other two Genin with ease. Turns out they had an Earth Scroll so for them the journey was done.

All they had to do now was go to the tower. But that could wait for tomorrow as both Naruto and Shino had become worn out in all the tracking and chakra usage, at least on Naruto's end. So with that in mind they had set up camp and created a small campfire.

"Good job guys. Now we are set to go in the morning." Naruto spoke quietly but sincerely.

"Yes indeed. This means more time to rest and thus a better chance for whatever may lie ahead." Shino added in. His logic was hardly ever wrong.

'_Plus more time to spend with Mino_' The young Hyuuga blushed. Naruto eyed her strangely.

"Something wrong Hinata?" How was he to understand a female's emotions? He hardly understood emotions in general.

"N-no," She stuttered, embarrassed at being caught. Naruto gave her a small smile before returning to the fire.

"I wanted to...thank you guys." Naruto said softly and in a kind tone. Something he had never done before in front of his team.

"Thank us for what exactly?" Shino inquired, curious as to the sudden change of persona.

"For not judging me like the rest of Konoha did when I was put on the team."

"That would be illogical and not to mention counterproductive. I did not know you or any of the actions you had performed. Therefore I had no grounds to judge you in any capacity. However I do believe that you are a well rounded Shinobi and a perfect fit for this team system." In his own weird way Shino had just complimented Naruto.

"Thank you." Naruto said quietly.

"Your gratitude is unneeded but still appreciated."

"I admit when you joined the team I did not like you." Hinata admitted, causing Naruto to face fault. "But now that you have been on the team. I can say that you are a nice person despite the pain you were through. And I am grateful for you being on this team." Naruto recovered in time to flash her a small smile.

"You guys are the best." He admitted with a rather large smile. Naruto could feel his cheeks straining at the pressure being caused by not having used this smiling muscles often.

"Well, looks like Kabuto was right." A sudden and very eerie sounded voice came out from the shadows. A moment later and the team was up on their feet and staring at the shadow the voice had come from.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked, though he really wished he hadn't. A second later the man stepped out of the shadows.

Shino's eyes went wide as he looked at the man. "Naruto, he looks just like you."

Hinata was no different, her Byakugan was already active. "His chakra feels and looks similar too."

Naruto couldn't help it. His knees below him fell and took his body with him. Tears threatened to spill out of their sockets. He couldn't understand why but he felt a deep connection to this man. He could only stare as the words rang out.

"My name is Orochimaru and I, my dear child, am your long lost Father."

* * *

**AN: And the cliffhanger you all have been waiting for! I do so hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope to see you next time. Please remember to review! It's like fuel to my fire for typing.**


	8. Chapter 8

**The Cycle of Pain**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Naruto.**

**AN: See ya'll at the bottom!**

* * *

Naruto felt his whole World became opened to him. As if some grand secret had just been shown to him. He had no idea what or who Orochimaru was before this. But in the brief moment that these two locked eyes he knew that the words he spoke were the truth.

Of course the reason he never learned of Orochimaru was because he was never taught about the Sannin. Having never entered the Academy and having Hiruzen take great steps to ensure that Naruto never learned of his father left him in the Dark for a vast majority of the time.

Now Shino and Hinata knew who this man was. His name would be forever embedded inside the history books for the heinous crimes he had committed. Despite their shock, both Hinata and Shino stepped in front of Naruto as if to defend him.

Orochimaru found this scene rather amusing. "Defending my son from his own Father are we? Kukuku what loyal subjects you have Naruto." Naruto physically flinched at the words. But that was to be expected as he was still in shock from this man's arrival.

"What's the matter my dear boy? The sight of your own father troubling you?" Orochimaru spoke in a child like manner, as if he was talking to a baby. He attempted to step forward towards Naruto but Shino and Hinata stepped forward to greet the man. Zero fear showed in their eyes.

But they had yet to see him in action.

Orochimaru frowned when he noticed this. "Move aside little pests and I may yet let you live." Orochimaru gave them a look that promised a quick death if they didn't listen. Shino and Hinata stayed perfectly wedged in there spots.

"It would be illogical for us to move. We do not know your intentions towards our teammate and, based upon your past history, it is most likely made with ill intentions." The bug user droned out with a monotone voice. Hinata backed her teammate with a stern physical nod.

Orochimaru began slowly clapping his hands. "My my, I am impressed. Truly I am. Most people who hear my name cower in fear. But here you are. Standing tall and what not." And that exact moment he let an unbearable amount of Killing intent flood their small campsite.

Shino, being the emotionally controlled person that he was, showed no outside fear. Though physically he began to sweat from the pressure but nothing else had changed. The inside of him, however, was something totally different. Inside he was panicking and his heart was racing. This was the most intense feeling of doom and dread he had ever felt. He was contemplating ending his own life to escape from the mental Anguish.

Hinata on the other hand was much worse. She did not have the control on her emotions like Shino did and thus her body became wracked with fear. Her knees and elbows began to shake, her stomach began forming knots, and her skin began to freeze. Warm tears strolled freely down her face and dropped off her face and onto the forest ground below.

Naruto wasn't doing any better than his team. The shock of Orochimaru declaring to be his father, and having the physical build to back it up, had spun his world harshly. He had gone through his whole life and now he decides to just drop in to his life? It began to upset Naruto the more he thought about it.

"Bravo children." The slithery voice of Orochimaru rang out. "You are able to withstand one eighth of my killing intent. But can you keep up with one eighth my strength?" He said tauntingly before rushing the children.

Shino was the first to respond by sending out a black cloud of insects in his path. Orochimaru made no effort to dodge it but instead ran face first into the cloud, shocking both Hinata and Shino. Imagine their surprise when the insects moved off the body it was nothing but mud.

They were rewarded with two savage kicks to their stomachs. One sending Shino above them into the trees. The other sending Hinata into a nearby tree trunk, blood spraying from her mouth. Orochimaru stalked forward towards Naruto. Only to be stopped by a swarm of bugs from above.

"These bugs are becoming troublesome." He muttered to himself before he sunk in to the ground and vanished. Shino waited for a second before hopping down to check on Hinata. He pulled her out of the wall just as he was on the receiving end of a vicious uppercut.

Hinata sprung into action while Orochimaru's back was turned towards her. She activated her Byakugan and poised her right palm to slam into the back of Orochimaru. Much to her shock and horror his body bent forward and an dodged her blow. She felt a tongue wrap around her neck and toss her into the trees where Shino just landed.

Orochimaru wasted no time and jumped up after them. Shino sprung from a nearby shadow and attempted a right cross to his face. Orochimaru batted his hand off to the side and plowed his fist into his stomach. Much to the tiny interest of the Snake Sannin the body of Shino busted open with bugs.

'_Bug Clone. Interesting._' Orochimaru thought bemusedly to himself. Before the bugs could begin draining his Chakra he swapped with a nearby log. Shino quickly revealed himself to Hinata and brought her to her feet.

"This counter productive. Fighting a Sannin at our current level is bound to get us killed or worse. We need to create a plan. We need Naruto." Shino stated through slightly haggard breath. Hinata couldn't help but to agree.

"Physical attacks have almost no effect of him. He can bend his body in impossible ways to dodge." Hinata informed him. Shino nodded grimly. They could very well be fighting a losing battle that could cost them their lives.

"Kukuku well children this had been fun but I am afraid I did not come for you." Both Genin turned around to see Orochimaru walk out of the shadows with a twisted grin. Shino stepped forward.

"Hinata go see if you can wake Naruto." Hinata opened her mouth to be defiant but one look from Shino and she was on her way to the pale child.

"So you intend to slow me down then?" The Snake Sannin said while spreading his arms wide, inviting Shino to give it his best shot. "Well come on then." Shino drew into his kunai pocket and threw three kunai at the Sannin. He dodged the first two with ease when the third one exploded.

"I am becoming bored of your bugs." Said a voice from behind him. Shino then realized that when the kunai exploded into bugs he had lost visual with Orochimaru. "Though I am impressed you lasted this long Aburame. You do your Clan proud." Shino felt a thunderous chop to the back of his neck before his world went dark.

* * *

**[With Hinata and Naruto]**

Hinata had just jumped off the tree branch that held Shino and Orochimaru. She felt extremely guilty for leaving him up there alone but he was right. They needed Naruto as he was their strongest member in almost every regard.

She cringed when the thought of her teammate Naruto came into her mind. He was the son of one of the most vile men in the entire world. The things Orochimaru had down to Konoha and the world have caused catastrophic effects everywhere.

Entire lives have been ruined by one action of the Snake Sannin. Entire clans have been exploited and used and destroyed because of Orochimaru. Hinata couldn't help this little part creep into her heart. This small understanding of why the villagers hated him.

However when she got to Naruto she nearly cried. The poor child hadn't moved at all since the fight began. He simply just stared at the ground with hollow eyes and a dull stare. She couldn't help but to feel sad for him but at the same time she felt so much more distant to him since Orochimaru showed up.

"Naruto." She called out timidly. Naruto made no attempt to move in any manner. He simply kept on staring. "Naruto please." Still no movement. At that moment she heard a loud sound, like skin slapping skin. Two seconds later she heard Shino's body hit the ground.

"Well this is adorable." Hinata stiffened at the voice but took a shaky defensive form in front of Naruto. The Sannin began stalking forward towards the duo. "Silly little Hyuuga. You should know better than to defy your betters." Hinata bit her lip to the point of bleeding the closer he got.

"I w-w-will always d-defend my t-t-team." Her stuttered out. Orochimaru's grin only grew bigger with each word she spoke. He stopped directly in front of her, towering over her with glowing yellow eyes. He slapped her faster than she could see.

"I used to believe in that. That was before I realized that it only drags you down. Defending people only saps your strength." He slapped her harder, causing a bruise to form on her face. Hinata gained a small moment of courage and launched a barrage of strikes towards him.

Orochimaru simply dodged all of her attacks while laughing at her. Hinata could only respond by biting her lip and pressing her attack. It took all she had just to keep up with his moving body. Eventually though, she began to tire out. Sweat formed on her brow and her blows came in slower and slower. Orochimaru simply pushed her backwards, forcing her to land on her back from exhaustion.

"Well you did try and in some circles you would be rewarded." He raised a kunai in the air, the blade facing downwards to where the tired Hyuuga lay. "This is the only reward you deserve." And with that he brought the blade down with the intent to pierce her heart.

A loud thud was heard.

Orochimaru looked somewhat surprised to see his son standing before him, and above Hinata, holding the wrist to stop his blade. The look in his eyes alone made Orochimaru realize that his son was like him in many ways.

Naruto was seething with anger at many things at the moment. Anger at Orochimaru for never being there for him. Anger at his team for taking on such a strong enemy with such reckless abandon. Anger at Hiruzen for hiding this from him. Anger Anko for the same.

"Do not touch her." His voice was laced with a deadly poison that promised endless pain for him if he went against his son. Orochimaru gave his son a sick smile before smashing a foot into his stomach, sending him into some bushes.

The Snake Sannin looked back down to the Hyuuga. Hinata had passed out from the various hits and tiring herself out. When he pushed her she had fallen hard and knocked herself out from the floor. He poised his kunai to strike again.

Out of the bushes came several kunai aimed straight for Orochimaru. The Snake backed up and began deflecting them. Once he had backed up from Hinata Naruto burst from the bushes. "I said not to touch her! **Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu**!" He launched a rather large boulder of fire towards his father.

The ball exploded when it made contact with the Sannin. Naruto landed in front of Hinata and watched as the smoke cleared. He was horrified when Orochimaru walked out of the smoke with his face repairing itself.

"That was delicious." Naruto could feel his stomach turn when Orochimaru licked his lips with his exceptionally long tongue. "I will admit you do have some skill. But not enough." He blitzed forward with blinding speed.

It was off pure muscle memory that he was able to respond. His body kicked in and forced him to jump up and away from the oncoming fist. Orochimaru followed him and soon the two landed on a branch above the two fallen Genin.

The two locked silted eyes for a moment. Gold met Emerald in a fierce lock down of eyes. A single leaf dwindled by as the two lunged at each other again. Sadly for Naruto, he was no match for his own father in terms of speed and ended up getting smacked against the tree trunk of the branch they were on.

Naruto wouldn't take that kind of beating lying down and rushed against his father. He threw a flurry of punches and kicks to the older Sannin. Most were simply batted away or outright dodged. Some of them did get through and make their mark. Sadly, Orochimaru wasn't even close to fighting at max strength so the little punches barely caught his interest.

Orochimaru grabbed both of Naruto's fists when they came towards him. He held them with a mocking smile, "You must have been top of your class to fight like that. I am proud." his tongue licked the corners of his mouth at the end of his sentence.

"I never entered the Academy." Naruto admitted making his abilities seem that much more impressive to the Snake Sannin. Orochimaru brought his knee back and drove it into the unprotected stomach of his son, causing all air to be forced from his lungs. He sent Naruto careening back into the tree trunk with a right straight to his face, blood spurted out of his mouth upon impact.

"Then how were you put on a team my dear boy?" Naruto grunted as he stood back up, having recovered his air from losing it. He used his right arm to hold his injured stomach. His legs buckled slightly from being pushed too hard.

"I had to beat Uchiha Sasuke. The number one Rookie. And I'm not your boy just because we look alike." Naruto said through haggard breath. Orochimaru grinned.

"Oh? And what do you know of your father?" He asked in an amused tone. Naruto coughed slightly, a tinge more blood escaping from his lips.

"My father is a great ninja who did a lot of good for Konoha!" Naruto roared out before yelping in pain at his damaged ribs.

"And who told you that?"

"The Sandaime. He taught me everything I know!" He proclaimed with pride. Orochimaru was actually surprised that the old man decided to help out Naruto. Must still be trying to atone for his past sins. Still Orochimaru didn't know that he had to fight his way into the ninja system.

But for him to find out that he was trained outside of the Academy and that his training was great enough for him to overpower a well educated Genin was nothing short of extraordinary. Even more so when it was the Rookie of the year. His son was truly going to become something in a few years if trained properly.

This actually got him thinking about that. He wanted the Uchiha for his body and bloodline sure but what about Naruto? He shared his blood and his chakra so that would make him a perfect vessel for his soul and the Cursed seal. The Cursed Seal may even work better on him due to his strong link to Orochimaru already. Plus he could train him to become as strong as he could be so that he wouldn't have to waste time with that in his new, younger body.

The only drawback would be that he wouldn't get the Sharingan that Itachi had used to easily beat him. Both young boy's had wonderful benefits to them. It was merely a matter of choosing who would be the victor. And there was only real way to settle this.

Let nature decided.

Orochimaru reached in to his robes and pulled out his scroll and tossed it to Naruto's feet. Naruto picked the scroll up and his eyes widened. It was an Earth scroll. "Why are you giving me this?" Naruto asked.

The Snake Sannin smiled at his son. "Because I want to see just how impressive you truly are and this is the best way. Consider it a belated birthday gift." Naruto raised an eyebrow at Orochimaru. Could he really be switching tactics on him that quickly? Why would he help him after wiping out his whole team?

"I still don't get it." Naruto admitted, which only made Orochimaru's smile grow more sinister.

"I can imagine you have a lot of questions. I will point you in the right direction. When you wake up be sure to demand answers from Sarutobi-sensei and little Anko. The Yondaime may have a few answers for you but I doubt they will be what you want to hear. Also know this. I will always accept you for who you are. Even if these fools in Konoha won't. I know what it is like to be hated by everyone. It is not an easy feeling to deal with." Naruto nodded slowly while looking at the scroll.

Had he been tricked by the Old Man? If Hiruzen knew about Orochimaru then why wasn't he told? Surely they didn't expect him to fall down the same path right? And what of Anko? When she mentioned that she was going to give him something that ran in his family did she know who his family was? Then there was Shino and Hinata. How long have they known?

Naruto could feel himself practically bubble with rage under his skin. If his suspicions were correct then that meant he had been lied to his whole life. That all the people that were nice to him were doing it solely to keep him under their thumb. If he was correct then all of the affections he received were fake.

Orochimaru watched with a twisted grin as his son began thinking. He watched with glee as his face morphed from one of confusion to one of pure rage and betrayal. If the Snake Sannin was correct in his thinking then Naruto would eventually grow to become spiteful inside.

Suddenly another thought his Naruto's boiling mind. Orochimaru said "When you wake up." what exactly did that mean for the young child. He got his answer in the form of a bite mark on the right side of his neck. The next thing that followed was a searing pain before darkness. A small seal formed on the outside of Naruto's skin in the form of a circle with three Tomoe inside.

Orochimaru looked at his son with a brief flash of pity in his eyes. This was the first time he had met him and it ended like this. He hoped that this wouldn't affect his plans and hopefully Naruto would come to him of his own free will.

Hopefully his gift of the Curse Mark would give him the power and the will to seek out answers and receive them. But there was a secondary reason to Naruto receiving the Curse Mark. He would now have the same power boost as Sasuke and when they fought it would come down to who was truly a better fighter.

That and there was no way anyone could deny him his rightful answers now. The truth mixed with all the rage and anger Naruto had bottled up inside would make him into one deadly human being. One that would no doubt seek out Orochimaru. The only person who would ever understand him and accept him.

True to his word Orochimaru decided to help the team even further. He gathered up both Shino and Hinata and placed them with Naruto on the tree trunk. He ran through a few hand signs before casting a strong genjutsu to hide the three until they woke up. Orochimaru certainly didn't want to be there when Naruto awoke.

Looking at his son one more time he smiled. Naruto had truly put up a good fight for a Genin. Even more so when he was defending his teammate. It reminded him of Naruto's mother in some ways. He grinned to himself before leaping away from the scene.

* * *

**[Several Minutes After]**

Mitarashi Anko was someone who deeply enjoyed the finer things in life. The finer things being nothing more than a mountain of Dango. Which she greatly enjoyed eating while the second round of exams were going on. Hey no one said she could eat on the job.

Plus she really only had to be here for the first day. After that she was allowed to go to the tower and wait. But for right now she was forced to sit and wait in case anything super bad happened. She didn't think it would but hey, its a ninja's world.

In fact, as fate would have it, something did end up going wrong. Very, very wrong. And a Chunin was the one to make the mistake of telling her while she was eating her Dango. "Proctor Anko!" The young voice of the Chunin called out. Anko glared at the boy when he arrived.

"What is it?" She barked out, causing the young lad to jump back in freight. "It had better be good or I am going to show you why they call me the Snake mistress of Konoha." the poor boy swallowed hard.

"We found three dead bodies in the forest." He said meekly, still frightened by the lady in front of him.

"That's it? You bothered me for that?" she spoke through gritted teeth. She practically seethed anger at being interrupted in such a fashion.

"N-no. We found the bodies with...their faces peeled off." Anko shot up in a hurry after that. There was truly only a few people that could ever do that. Even still there was only one person who could infiltrate Konoha without anyone knowing.

"Are you sure about this?" Anko asked in a serious tone of voice. The Chunin couldn't have nodded fast enough. "Then go warn the Hokage about this. Orochimaru has entered the Chunin Exams." as Anko spoke she rushed off into the forest. The Chunin hopped his way back into Konoha.

As Anko darted through the forest she couldn't help but to feel a strong urge of fear in her belly. Even if she found Orochimaru could she actually beat him? Could she even put a mark on his pale skin? Would she even survive?

What about Naruto? What if he had somehow found Naruto and interacted with him? The effects could be disastrous for the young boy. He was already pretty impressionable when it came to his Parents but a meeting between the two now could corrupt him.

With that thought in mind she pushed more chakra into her legs and darted deeper into the forest with greater haste.

* * *

**[Hokage Office]**

"I am telling you Mino will be fine." Sarutobi attempted to reassure the Yondaime that his son would be fine in the Exams. The two had been shooting playful banter between the two of them to past time till they were called to the tower.

"I hope so. But a father has the right to worry eh?" Minato chuckled into his hand.

"Indeed. I remember when Asuma took these tests. I think I went through two bags of tobacco that day." He smiled as he remembered the memory of how Asuma came out of the exam with his Chunin jacket. It was a good day for the Sarutobi family.

"I am sure the team will do fine. The Uchiha boy isn't a slouch and the Inuzuka is rather talented for his age as well." Minato commented. Hiruzen nodded softly. It was true. Team Seven was a rather strong powerhouse at this moment.

"Still I wouldn't count out any other teams. That one from Suna looks to be quite something." The Sandaime threw in. Minato seemed to ponder that as well.

"That Suna kid with the red hair. He is like my Mino right?" He of course was referring to having a Tailed Beast sealed inside of him. Hiruzen nodded slowly.

"Yes he is. I believe he hold Shukaku." Minato nodded.

"Do you think they have met and know each others secret?" Hiruzen took a puff from his pipe and blew it out slowly.

"I don't know to be honest. If they do it could be dangerous or helpful." Minato smiled and was about to answer about how Mino's nature might help Gaara out when a Chunin came ripping into the Office.

"Lord Sandaime, Lord Yondaime, Orochimaru has infiltrated the Chunin Exams and has killed three Kusa Genin." The Chunin bowed before them while they soaked up the information.

The Yondaime became upset the moment Orochimaru was mention. He was even more upset when told that he had killed Genin in the Exam. Instantly his mind flew through memories of Kushina. This was his chance to redeem himself and kill Orochimaru.

The Sandaime was more in shock than anything else. Hearing that Orochimaru came back and meddled with the Exams. Not only that but he wondered what exactly he was there for. Could it be that he found out about Naruto and came to see him? This flipped the ex-Hokage in to panic mode.

"Thank you. Please go rest while we handle this." Hiruzen spoke in his commanding voice and took off to Training Ground 44 with haste. Minato nodded to the Chunin and told him the same thing. In a yellow flash the Yondaime and his Anbu force were gone from sight.

The Chunin smiled. He reached up a hand and pulled off his face. A sick and twisted pale smile was all that was left.

* * *

**[With Anko]**

She simple couldn't believe it. The gaps between their strengths were still way to far for her to close. She had tried everything from summoning snakes to using clones to exploding tags and nothing worked. She even tried Taijutsu and yet she didn't even land a hit.

Which led to her being knocked down over and over to the point where she couldn't even gain the energy to fight back. Orochimaru had bested her in everything she had tried to do. She still remained weaker than her former Sensei.

"Well, Well my little Anko. Seems you are still so pathetic. It seems I made the right choice leaving you behind." Orochimaru taunted causing Anko to fume silently at him. "But you still serve a purpose I suppose."

"Whatever it is I won't do it." The older Shinobi chuckled.

"You don't have a choice. Tell them that if they cancel these Exams I will destroy Konoha." Right as Anko was about to say something Orochimaru turned to mud and fell apart. Anko became enraged at the thought that the Orochimaru before her was a simple clone.

Anko struggled to her feet when a shadow jumped towards her and a yellow flash appeared in front of her. "Anko." Hiruzen spoke in a soft voice, helping Anko to her feet.

"Heh thanks for helping." She said weakly, having had all of the energy beaten out of her just moments before.

"Did you find him?" Minato asked with barely controlled rage. He wanted to find the bastard and rip out his spine for what he did. Much to his dismay Anko shook her head.

"I ran into a clone. He has a message for you both. If you stop the Exams. He will attack Konoha." She spoke grimly. The two men shared a look that spoke volumes on how each of them wanted to approach the task.

"I say we cancel the Exams." Minato said, earning a shocked look from both Anko and Hiruzen. "What could he possibly attack with that we couldn't handle or stop?" It was a fair point.

"Minato, Orochimaru himself could attack Konoha alone and it would take everything you had just to stop him. Knowing him he will have outside help. Something strong. We can't cancel the Exams." Hiruzen spoke, trying to defend the citizens of Konoha from Orochimaru's wrath.

"Are you saying that we give into the demands of this monster?" Minato narrowed his eyes at Sarutobi.

"Are you agreeing to taking a risk that could lead to countless others dieing?" Hiruzen countered which shut Minato's anger down. Angry as he was he could let people die for nothing. Especially when the problem could be avoided.

"I don't like it but you're right. I will have to increase the security of the village to ensure the people feel safe again. Plus it could help us in case he does try something anyway." Minato vanished again in a flash of light. He had much to do.

Hiruzen teleported himself and Anko to a nearby medic tent that was set up for the exams anyway. By that time Anko had passed out from her wounds and was taken in right away. The Sandaime turned to face the forest with a frown.

He had an extremely bad feeling about what had happened in there. Something in his gut told him that things would be very different from now on and maybe having Naruto enter the exams was not such a good idea.

* * *

**[The Next Day]**

Naruto couldn't help but to feel a blinding pain in his neck from where is Father had bitten him. The thought alone made him shiver ever so slightly. But then again meeting his Father hadn't been as horrid as it could have been. Now he had people to question.

The next feeling that hit him was an overwhelming feeling of power coursing through his veins. He felt as though he had gained years worth of training and additional strength over night. It was they type of feeling that made him feel like he needed to crush everything in his path.

He also noticed that this new power up seemed to be draining his chakra at a steady amount. So the power did have a trade off. For the more chakra one pushed into it, the stronger they became. Another thing he noticed was the fact that he had black flame like markings all across his skin in a weird pattern.

Naruto opened his eyes and stood up. All the pain and soreness from yesterday was still there but at the moment the pain was so blunted he could barely feel any of it. He looked around the forest to find Shino and Hinata gathered around a small fire.

He made a move to go towards them when a few things stopped him. The first was that a purple flame like chakra swirled around him ominously. If he had to guess then he would say that the new chakra came from the new seal on him.

The second thing that stopped him was his thoughts. What if they knew about his Father? Would they see him differently? Would they judge him based upon the sins of his father being forced on him? Would they turn their backs on him?

He decided that he would play it cautiously. He used his willpower to force the seal back and regain control of his mind. Once the flame markings were gone he stepped forward. The air and light around him shimmered for a brief second before stopping. As if some Genjutsu had just be stopped.

He shook his head and dropped down to greet his team. "Hey guys." He called out quietly. Shino and Hinata perked up and looked over to him.

"Naruto you're alive!" Hinata rushed over to hug him. Being very new to physical contact and emotions he was rather confused as to what to do. Sighing to himself he gingerly returned the hug. Hinata nuzzled in to his chest.

"Of course I'm alive silly. What did you think was going to happen?" Hinata looked up from her hug and frowned. Shino chose this moment to step forward and speak.

"Throughout the night you suffered from a high fever and was most distressed while you slept. I also noted you had a high pulse and were shaking uncontrollably. I believe that the seal on your neck would be the cause of this." Naruto nodded, he knew it was true. No point in denying it.

"I think your right." Naruto admitted. Hinata released him and looked into his eyes.

"I saw what it did to you. A nasty purple chakra made its way through your chakra network. It mingled and bonded to your chakra." Naruto scratched his head. He knew it must have affected him but he didn't know that it did that.

"I just won't use it then." Naruto said with some conviction. He didn't really fear the seal because it hadn't really been a problem so far. It had only made him tired and it drained his chakra. Much like a jutsu would.

_What about your Father?_

A voice from the back of his mind spoke the thought. Naruto blinked when he heard the voice. Where had that come from? And why did it sound so sinister yet it sounded so...correct?

"Hey question. Did you guys know about Orochimaru being my...father?" Naruto asked the other two. Both of them became stiff and scared. This infuriated Naruto slightly but he had to bite back his rage as the seal started burn and itch for use.

"I had an inkling yes. I learned of him in the Academy. I did not connect the dots till you two were side by side. I heard through my family of his crimes and his betrayal of Konoha despite being one of the Sannin." Shino concluded with a nod. Naruto however was a different matter.

"And yet you didn't think to mention this to me?" He asked clenching his fists.

"I was asked not to." Shino admitted.

"By who?" Naruto relaxed a little. Maybe the old man wanted to tell him himself.

"Kurenai-sensei." This caused Naruto to flare his nostrils. Why would his Sensei keep something like this from him? The shadows that the forest cast over the group made Naruto's eyes seem as though they were glowing with anger.

"And what of you Hinata?" Naruto turned his glowing eyes over to the young Hyuuga. Hinata very small under his harsh gaze. She could only tell the truth and hoped he would calm down.

"I-I knew but was asked not to bring it up. By my Father and Kurenai-sensei." Naruto took a step away from the group, a frown forming on his face. His teammates willing withheld information from him. The same teammates he trusted with his life. The same ones he had come to respect and care for.

"I...see." Was all Naruto said.

"Naruto, attempt to understand that we were ordered not to tell you." Shino removed his glasses and looked at his teammate. "Know this, I do not see you any differently. You have earned my trust and respect. This only makes me respect you more." Naruto scoffed and turned his back.

"I agree with Shino, Naruto. I will never look down on you. I'll admit you scared me after I found out. But then I realized you were still the same Naruto to me." Hinata added with a small smile.

Naruto couldn't help but to let a small smile grace his lips. He really did have such understanding friends and teammates. He sighed to himself before turning around. "I'm sorry if I seem on edge. This whole this has gotten to me."

"It would get to anyone. For now we have the scrolls. Let's go to the tower." Shino suggested. Naruto and Hinata nodded to their teammate before hopping away. Hinata looked to Naruto and mentally smacked herself for thinking ill of him. A dash of red hit her cheeks. Naruto was becoming a fine young warrior and quite the role model to her.

* * *

A young pair of teal eyes watched the group leave. Gaara had felt Naruto's chakra spike just a few minutes ago and came to inspect. When he arrived it seemed he was having a harsh engagement with his team. Once again his Mother had demanded that they let him leave.

"But why Mother? Why must his blood be spared?" Gaara asked his inner demon. He was curious as to why exactly Naruto was supposed to live.

"**He ****has a rage deep inside of him****. His blood would be best spilled in front of an Audience. ****Your existence would be best proved by this.**" Shukaku commented. Gaara frowned deeply.

"But earlier you said he is special. What do you mean by that?" Gaara inquired curiously. Shukaku has never wanted to spare anyone before so what made him want to hold off on killing him. One might say that it drew in the redhead's interest.

"**He has a touch of destiny upon him. ****A strength hidden beneath the surface. **" Was all Shukaku said before cutting the mental link to his host. Gaara held his frown and narrowed his eyes. Why wasn't Shukaku being straight with him? What did that statement mean?

"Naruto. I look forward to our next meeting. Mother and I shall bathe in your blood. And I shall finally have proved my existence" Gaara turned and jumped away from the scene. Behind him a shuddering Temari and Kankuro stood for a moment before following their brother.

* * *

**[Somewhere outside of Konohagakure no Sato]**

"Yes Kabuto I have met my child." Orochimaru said with a smirk. Truly meeting his son had been an eye opener for him in many regards. Most importantly it gave him options.

"How did it go with him?" Kabuto asked, slowly rising to his feet. A small smirk on his face.

"He has forced me to change my plans. I gave him a Curse Seal of Heaven." Kabuto's eyes widened. Why would he do that? What purpose did it serve?

"But Lord Orochimaru I thought you only gave that to those that were to become your future host?" Orochimaru chuckled slightly.

"Right you are Kabuto. However, he is my son. We already share DNA and Chakra. If he were to seek me out and beat the Uchiha in the process then I would have a much easier time switching bodies. Not to mention the body would last longer than three years. There is the chance that his body would be similar to my original body. I could even enter Sage Mode again with that body." Orochimaru took a breath before continuing.

"As with the Uchiha there are a few risks. First there is the chance that after training him he will betray me. There is also the chance that his body won't be trained enough by the proper time. However the rewards are great. The biggest one being the Sharingan. With that my goals and eternal life would be much simpler. Then I will unlock the same Sharingan that Itachi has. Then the world will be mine to command." He said with a twisted grin.

"Of course Lord Orochimaru. Shall send the runners to Suna?" Kabuto asked calmly. Orochimaru shook his head.

"No. I will go there myself. I have something to deal with there." Kabuto nodded before turning and leaving. This year was turning out to be something special already. He sighed to himself. Once more he was stuck in the servant position. One day though. One day he would be the King and not the peasant.

* * *

**AN: Well here it is! I hope that you all enjoyed it. I know I had a blast writing it. I love writing new chapters for you guys. So much fun to see how you all respond to the numerous twists and turns I throw in to the story.**

**Speaking of which, how about that family reunion? Bet you didn't expect it to go quite that way huh? How will Naruto react when he learns the truth from the Old Man? How will this effect Naruto and his team?**

**Guess you'll just have to wait till Chapter 9 then. Please let me know what you think. Please review as it makes me happy and keeps me going. Seriously, reviews spur me on to post chapters faster.**

**See you all next chapter. I hope you all have Happy Holidays!**


	9. Chapter 9

**The Cycle of Pain**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**AN**:**See you all at the Bottom.**

* * *

Team Eight had arrived at the tower. The emotions of the team ran strenuously high for the group. So much had been done to them within the brief day or so they spent in the forest. Each member of the little group easily felt as though they could sleep for hours on end.

And sleep they did. Mainly they slept because the journey to the tower had been arduous and extremely taxing for the group. All manner of things came to attack them. All manner of animals sought to claim them as food for the night.

They rested after getting processed by the tower and all the paperwork that went with it. Well most of the team anyway. Naruto couldn't sleep any longer than five minutes without waking drenched in sweat. The reason being that he had been having the strangest dreams since he arrived. He would wake up screaming, soaked in sweat, then fall back asleep.

Many people had come to check up on him including Kurenai and the Sandaime. Seeing as how they were unable to keep him awake for any length of time they just let him sleep. Both adults were worried about what exactly Naruto would be like once he awoke.

Currently he was entangled in such a dream. One that shook him to his core.

**[Naruto's dream]**

The young pale Shinobi hopped from tree to tree, sweat pouring off oh his face as the noise of snakes behind him grew louder. He ran as hard as he could, using every skill he had acquired throughout his life. And none of it was doing him any good.

The darkness of the forest behind him seemed to grow and speed up no matter how hard he tried. Feelings of hopelessness crept into his heart as the shadows overcame and smothered him. In the back of his head he could hear the taunting voice of his father.

_To weak to fight. To weak to escape._

"Shut up!" he screamed at the voice. He couldn't tell if it was really there or not. It did feel good to allow some of his aggression out in some form. And he had plenty of that to spare for anyone that dared to cross his path.

So many questions still burned within his head. So many things that have gone unanswered for far too long. For far too long he had been lied too and suppressed for the greater 'good'. And just where was his reward for being good? Where was his acceptance for being a good human being?

He had so many questions he needed to ask. And the first person on his hit list was his very own Sensei. The same lady who professed to care about Naruto in equal measure along with the others. The very same woman who made him train to be the proverbial meat shield for the group.

The next up would be the proctor of the Second stage. One Mitarashi Anko would have to pay. She knew who his father was. She had to have. She was trained by him after all and Naruto looked almost exactly like his dear old dad. Plus she had something that belonged to him. Something rather important.

_And now you have the power to demand those answers_

The voice of his father made his anger rise but he did know one thing. He was right about this whole situation. He could physically feel the immense power coursing through his veins. With this new found strength he could easily conquer all those who stand in his way.

"No! That's not how I feel!" Naruto shouted in the darkness, shaking his head profusely. This was not him speaking. This was the influence of the that blasted seal on the right side of his neck. This was the influence of his father speaking.

_You are merely thinking what you feel in your heart. My seal has awakened your true, buried feelings._

Naruto opened his mouth to deny his statement when he actually stopped to think about that. Could that actually be true? Naruto could vividly remember being angry at the world when he was younger but that slowly slipped away as he got older.

Could it be that his attachment to his friends merely buried his hate and anger? That maybe he never got rid of it? After all everything he had believed in before was a lie so why would now be any different?

_You know my words to be true_

Yeah maybe for now he was right. If only for this brief moment.

"Hello Naruto" The voice of Sarutobi Hiruzen called out

"AHH!"

**[Dream End]**

"AHH!" Naruto awoke with a start, once again covered in a thick sheen of sweat. His shout of exhaustion fell of deafening silence. The room in which he rest was easily the darkest thing his eyes had ever seen. The only source of light was the one which the moon had cast, and even that was dimmed coming through the window.

"Hello Naruto." The same elderly voice of the Sandaime rang out, calling Naruto to his attention. A moment later the Old Man stepped in to the pale moonlight with a small smile etched in to his stone like face.

Naruto felt a wave of relief sweep over him at the sight of the elderly man. "Hey Old Man!" Naruto greeted with a smile. He moved to throw the covers off his feet when he noticed the look that Hiruzen was giving him.

"What's wrong?" He asked. Hiruzen's gaze moved upwards, to the empty spot above Naruto.

"Orochimaru." The elderly man sneered. A second later the Snake Sannin came forth from the shadows and placed a hand on Naruto with a smile.

"Isn't this just lovely reunion?" The slippery voice of the Sannin crept from his pale throat. Naruto looked to the Sandaime with a frown filled with sadness. The Sandaime regarded Naruto with a frown and a glare.

"Yes it is. The Snake and his bastard son." Naruto could literally feel his heart tear open and begin pouring blood. He could not believe his ears but those very words seemed to ring out around the room forever.

"Now, now Sensei. That wasn't very nice." The bemused voice of Orochimaru rang out with a smirk. Naruto felt as though his soul and his heart had been ripped from his body all at once. Ice itself seemed to worm its way in to his very being.

"But it is fitting. He has always been worthless." Sarutobi said with a calm voice. The same kind he used to comfort Naruto with. Rage began to boil under the Snake child's skin.

"He has always been so-" Naruto had plunged his hand deep inside the body of the Sandaime, Curse Mark covering his body as he did so. The Chakra responded to his desire and rage and forced the seal to activate on its own, noxious purple chakra swirled ominously around his body.

"Na-Naruto?" The Sandaime whimpered pitifully. Naruto growl and ripped his hand out of the chest of the elderly man. His body fell to the ground a moment later, filling the room with the sound of his dull thud.

Orochimaru began clapping slowly at his child. "Bravo Naruto. Simply beautiful."

_No..._

This wasn't him. Why did he do that! Naruto clutched his head in anger at himself and the pain that followed.

_NO!_

**[Actual Dream End]**

Naruto awoke this time completely dry. Mainly because he had already sweated out every drop in the past thirty minutes of sleep he had been getting. He could feel his pulse thumping away in his chest like a hammer against his heart.

"Naruto!" Hinata cried out to her teammate. He had been slipping in and out sleep for the past three days now. For some odd reason he seemed to be completely exhausted by any type of effort in any way shape or form.

"Ugh. My head." Naruto groaned as he sat up, finally not feeling as though he was exhausted. In fact it was quite the opposite. He had never felt so full of energy before. He felt like he could run a thousand laps around Konoha on his hands!

Okay so maybe not that much but he felt pretty damn good. Hinata had made her way over to him, curious as to how he was feeling. She activated her Byakugan and scanned over his chakra network. Imagine her surprise when she noticed the same noxious purple chakra inside of his brain.

"Um Naruto? That purple chakra from before? Its in your..brain." She said with slight trepidation. She wasn't exactly sure how he would take the news of that. It was sort of like telling someone they have a sickness in the head. Always thin ice for that subject.

Naruto looked a bit crestfallen before nodding to her "Yeah I figured." He spoke softly, almost as if the brash and powerful Genin back in the forest was gone and the Old Naruto was all that remained. Like he had been unfazed by what had happened to him.

"Do...Do you want to talk about it?" She asked him. Naruto quickly shook his head.

"There really isn't anything to talk about Hinata. I need time to deal with this on my own." Hinata was taken aback by his harsher tone. Maybe she had been a bit insensitive. After all she too would need time to deal with such a revelation.

"I'm sorr-"

"Don't be. You were merely trying to be my friend and for that I thank you. I just...need some time is all." Hinata smiled and nodded her head quickly, grateful that he wasn't mad at her.

"So what has been going on since I have been out of it?" He inquired softly, not wishing to further upset his female teammate.

"Well...teams have been coming in. I think Team Seven arrived some time yesterday." Naruto's eyes bugged out. That was the one team he didn't want to make it to this part. With his new found powers being activated from his rage he wasn't so sure he could control himself if they fought.

"Great. Just the people I needed to see here. Do you know what is going to happen now?" Hinata nodded her head.

"Too many teams made it through. They are going to be having a preliminary round consisting of random matches." Naruto nodded. That seemed like a fair enough way to thin out the rest. After all, only so many people could make it to the finals. He would make sure that he was one of the select few who made it. If only to show Konoha that he was worth something.

"Thanks Hinata." He gave her a smile before getting out of bed. She blushed and scooted away from him and out the door. Naruto followed her example and went for the door. Much to his surprise Kurenai opened the door and shut it behind her.

"How are you feeling?" She asked. Naruto growled lowly and almost didn't feel like answering. She was one of the people that had lied to him after all. But he figured that was no reason he couldn't be cordial.

"Fine. I feel fine Kurenai-_sensei_." He nearly hissed at the last word. In his mind Sensei's shouldn't lie to their students no matter what.

"I came to talk to you about what happened in the forest." She replied in as calm a tone as she could manage. She didn't want him getting too upset with the Curse seal and all. Still, Naruto seemed anything bu calm.

"I'm sure Shino and Hinata already told you what happened. About Oroc- about my father. About my new seal." He left his sentence hanging in the air for a moment. "Why did you keep that from me?" He asked, his eyes full of sorrow and betrayal.

"Naruto..." She started. Her own voice was shaky. Being forced to deal with an impossible situation where the slightest mistake could have dire consequences was nerve wrecking. Sadly for her, she really couldn't come up with an excuse that could pacify the boy. "You have to believe me when I say I didn't want to keep it from you."

"Then why did you?" His voice wasn't hot or angry. It wasn't trembling or shaky by any means. It was simply cold and indifferent.

"I was ordered not to. As a Shinobi of the Leaf you should know that we never go back on the orders of our superiors." Naruto let out a small dry chuckle.

"Shinobi of the Leaf." He said dangerously low. "When have I ever been one of those?"

"Since the day you earned your headband." He chuckled softly again, sounding an awful lot like the Snake Sannin himself.

"I had to beat someone to get this. I was never accepted in to the Academy. I was never one of them. Even my own teammates didn't accept me." Kurenai frowned.

"But they accept you now. They care about you now. Even after finding out." Naruto allowed himself to smile slightly.

"And for that they will forever be in my heart. As for Sensei. I hold no care for you. I gave you my utmost trust and you saw fit to lie to me regardless of the situation. I will follow your orders but do not expect me to be open and friendly with you." Naruto crossed his arms over his chest.

"Naruto please don't be like this. I care about you." Kurenai pleading asked her student.

"You could have explained the situation an asked me to keep it a secret. Instead you chose to lie to me about the one thing I have wanted to know all my life. I understand that he is a dangerous man and should be avoided at all costs. But don't you think it would be easier to avoid something I could see coming?" He finished with sneer that would put any Hyuuga in their place.

Kurenai opened her mouth but really couldn't find any words to say. She thought about if she were in his shoes. She would have at least wanted to know who to avoid. Instead he was kept in the dark but who could have predicted that Orochimaru would show up during the Exams of all places?

"I...understand." Kurenai spoke softly, her tone was low so that only Naruto could hear it. The pale boy frowned and walked past her. He placed his left hand on the door knob.

"I highly doubt that you do. But if you happen to see Anko please tell her I am looking for her. We need to speak, her and I." Naruto said with an icy tone. The Curse mark on the back of his neck flaring slightly before he shut the door and began walking to the arena.

Kurenai sighed heavily in the empty room. "...What have I done?"

* * *

[**Preliminary Arena]**

Naruto had walked up the steps and found Shino and Hinata waiting for him. The latter waved to him with a smile while the former simply nodded, everything he wanted to say being conveyed through that simple motion. Naruto nodded back and was glad that at least his teammates still saw him for him. Even though they too could have given him a heads up about Orochimaru.

So when he got there he turned his attention to the floor. "So, Anyone go yet?" Shino shook his head.

"None yet. But I believe, now that you are here, they are going to begin." Naruto paled slightly and nodded from embarrassment. That must have been why all the people in the Arena had stared at him when he enter. He must have been too angry to really notice that.

"Ah. Well I wonder who is up first?" Naruto and his team turned their heads to the giant board. Each waiting for the names to be selected and to pop up. The Screen roared to life and began spinning through the names of all the Genin there.

Uchiha Sasuke vs Akado Yoroi

The last Uchiha smirked wildly before hopping down to join the area. A man with a bandana and a face cover jumped down too. Naruto raised a brow at the purple and white dressed Shinobi. He looked very similar to that Kabuto fellow from earlier.

Speaking of which, where was Kabuto? Since Naruto had arrived he hadn't seen hide nor hair of the silver haired and rather friendly Genin. Then again he had been passed out for the past three days due to the seal on his neck.

His face screwed up in pain at the mere thought of that seal. Just thinking about the seal in such a way made his whole body break out in cold sweats and pain. Was that a natural reaction deriving from the seal? Did his teammates notice?

That brought a slight shiver of fear to his body. What exactly did his teammates think about the seal and its effect on him? Granted he didn't exactly like the nasty feeling and the noxious chakra that the thing gave off. But he did like the extra power the seal gave him when he needed it. Sorta made him crave more of such a power.

"**Shishi Rendan**!"

Naruto was broken from his thoughts when Sasuke called out the name of his technique. He was mildly impressed with the Uchiha when the last and thundering strike was brought down in the form of a foot to the midsection.

The pale Shinobi watched carefully as Sasuke got up and was proclaimed the winner. A blonde haired girl immediately started screaming her devotion to the Uchiha. Both Sasuke and Naruto shook their heads in disappointment of her fan girlish tendencies.

That alone made Naruto smile at his own female teammate. He was glad that she wasn't just relying on the men to carry the team. Glad that he had a female teammate that had actual physical prowess and physical endurance.

A slight blush crept on to his face. He didn't know why but the thought of Hinata made his face heat up slightly. He allowed his eyes to dart over to said Hyuuga. She was leaning up against the rail with a pensive look on her face. Sort of cute looking.

He instantly looked away from the girl and back towards the Uchiha. His eyes narrowed when he noticed a small blemish on the pale Uchiha's neck. The small black spot looked very similar to a certain black spot that Naruto had.

Naruto had to go and find out for sure. So he turned his attention away from the area and began to walk over to Team Seven's corner.

"Where are you going Naruto?" The soft voice of Kurenai rang out. Naruto had to fight the urge to let the curse seal spread over his body at the sound of her voice.

"Connecting the dots." And with that he began his route to the Uchiha to question him, leaving behind a hurt Kurenai and a confused Hinata and Shino.

"I must ask Kurenai-sensei. I have never seen Naruto act so callously towards anyone. Do you know what had happened to him?" Kurenai looked to Shino with a blank face.

"He is learning that the Shinobi world is full of lies and deceit."

* * *

**[With Naruto]**

Team Seven was in sight and by the looks of it they were conversing with their Jonin. Something about how Sasuke suffered some Chakra loss from that last fight. Which Naruto found odd because he hadn't heard the Uchiha any kind of jutsu in that fight.

Either way he approached the group with a blank face, devoid of all emotions, if only to hid his true feelings on the matter. The truth was that Naruto was livid at the fact that Sasuke had the same mark as he did. To him it meant that Orochimaru considered him to be on the same level as Sasuke. And he knew for a fact he was above the Uchiha in so many ways.

"Hey what the hell are you doing here?" The gruff voice of one Inuzuka Kiba called out to the pale boy. Naruto stopped in front on Kiba, looking him dead in the eye, and his arms crossed.

"I came to talk to the Uchiha. Not to you. Move aside or be put down like the dog you are." Naruto's voice was cold and slightly mocking in its tone. Kiba and his little white dog Akamaru growled in response.

"I'm not moving till you tell me whatever it is you plan on telling Sasuke." Naruto frowned deeply before he looked to the electronic board in the background. He grinned at the names that it revealed.

"Fine. If you want to know then I will tell you. Under one condition."

"What's that?" He growled out through clenched teeth.

"You have to win." Naruto pointed past the shoulder of the dog ninja. When Kiba turned around he couldn't help himself but to grin.

Inuzuka Kiba vs Naruto

A worthy challenge for him to prove that he was the top dog. What better way to prove yourself then against the Genin that single handily beat the Uchiha in to submission twice.

"Deal!" Kiba and Akamaru hopped down to the floor without a single moment of hesitation. Naruto's eyes were positively lit up with the promise of a challenge. He could feel the adrenaline push through his veins. The excitement of the fight was all his mind was on.

He leaned over the rail and looked down at Kiba. He grinned fiendishly before turning to Sasuke, who had been watching the two interact the whole time, and speaking with a hint of danger to his voice. "When I win. We need to talk." then he hopped down to the bottom floor.

Kakashi stepped forward and placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, getting the younger boy to look up at him. "You remember what happened yesterday?" He asked. Sasuke could only shudder at that. Sealing the curse seal had been one of the most painful things to have ever happened to him.

"Yeah?" Kakashi sighed and pulled out his orange book.

"I have a feeling I will need to do it again."

* * *

**[Arena Floor]**

"...Now that I've explained the rules. Are you both ready?" Gekko Hayate spoke and looked to both fighters. Naruto nodded but couldn't keep the look of insanity and murderous intent from his eyes. Kiba nodded and Akamaru hopped off and landed next to his master.

"Alright then. Begin!" Now as the battle started Naruto recalled what he knew of the Inuzuka clan. He knew that they fought along side of their dogs in perfect tandem. He knew they could transform in to perfect and solid copies so as to confuse the enemy.

"**Gatsuuga**!" Naruto's eyes bugged out. Damn that was fast! Before he knew it two spiraling masses of people were coming towards him at an insane rate of speed. It took all Naruto had to jump high enough to escape the two large spinning masses.

Whilst in the air he turned around to observe the movements of the duo. He watched as the two of them made a wide arc to turn around and come back for him. Naruto landed with a smirk on his face. So they had trouble turning quickly eh?

"**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu**!" Naruto hollered out and fired a ball of fire directly at the left spinning mass of chakra. He snickered with mild satisfaction as the ball smashed in to the gray mass of claws and chakra. A moment later the right spiral stopped and landed near the other.

"You bastard! You hurt Akamaru!" Naruto couldn't help but to laugh.

"Then maybe he shouldn't be trying to fight against something that can bite back." Kiba snarled menacingly before dropping back down to all fours. Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Don't you know anything other than that useless spinning jutsu?" Naruto asked mockingly. Kiba leaned back and lunged forward.

"**Gatsuuga**!" Naruto sighed. He truly wished that his fight would have gave him more of a thrill. Looks like Kiba was going to make him work for his fun. That was fine. It just meant he would have to play a little dirty.

"**Doton: Doryuheki**!" A mass of earthen mud was expelled from Naruto mouth on to the tiled arena floor. The mud quickly grew in to a wall of solid earth. Kiba, being the prideful warrior that he was, decided to take the wall head on and smash in to it.

Naruto shook his head and darted around the wall, his eyes on his prize.

Meanwhile, Kiba simply spun and spun against the rock, slowly drilling through it. For Kiba it was all about his pride in his Clan's jutsu and their prowess as fighters. Of course it didn't help that he had used the jutsu of his family that made him more animal like so he was less focused on what he needed to be focused on.

By the time that Kiba had gotten through the wall and stopped using his jutsu it was a little too late. As he came out of the spin he turned to face where Naruto had went. His breath was ragged and his legs shaky from using so much extra chakra to drill through the wall. However what he saw made his heart pound much harder than before.

Naruto was standing with a smirk on his face. He had a passed out and slightly whimpering Akamaru by the scruff with a kunai to his throat. Kiba growled out breathlessly and took off towards Naruto. The pale child smiled.

When Kiba got in to range he threw Akamaru straight at Kiba's eyes. As expected the dog ninja caught deftly caught his furry partner. Sadly for him, he took his eyes off the actual threat and ended up paying dearly for it.

In the split moment that Kiba distracted himself by grabbing the dog Naruto had acted. He dashed forward, kunai still in hand, and slammed the kunai right in to his thigh. The pure joy that course through Naruto's veins at the sight of Kiba's blood could not be expressed in words.

In shock, Kiba dropped Akamaru and turned his attention towards the kunai in his leg. In that moment a pale fist came in from the right and clocked him right on his eyes. He recoiled from the strike and kicked out with good leg. Naruto ducked under the leg and swept the injured leg out from under him.

Kiba landed with a soft thud. It would have taken him a second to recover but the animal side of him refused to rest. With adrenaline coursing through his body he sprung back up to his feet and began trying to claw Naruto's face off with furious lefts and rights.

Naruto was having the time of his life while dodging the large claws of Kiba. He knew that the Inuzuka was tired and sloppy so at this point the ball was in Naruto's court. After seamlessly dodging a vicious right hook Naruto slammed his knee into Kiba's stomach, causing all the air from his lungs to leave him.

But He didn't stop. Naruto began battering Kiba with rights and lefts of his own, leaving bruises all over the poor boys face. Each time Kiba would strike back Naruto would dodge and just pound his fists harder against his face.

At one point Kiba could have swore that he was getting hit with boulders. Of course what Kiba was feeling was the enhanced prowess of Naruto under the curse mark. He was easily twice as strong and fast. Naruto just loved to toy with the Genin.

He continued to hammer away until Kiba stopped trying to fight back. Naruto frowned when he stopped fighting and backed away. Kiba was still standing but simply because of muscle memory. It was obvious that Naruto had won but the Curse Seal refused to leave it at that.

Naruto dashed before they could call the fight and grabbed Kiba by the collar. He spun quickly and threw Kiba. Unfortunately for Kiba, Naruto had thrown his unconscious body into the still standing earth wall. Kiba smashed straight through the weakened wall and lay on the other side.

Surprisingly, Naruto fought back the seals influence with ease. He stood calmly as he was announced the winner. The smirk never left his face as he left the arena and walked back up to where Team Seven and Team Eight were gathered. It surprised Naruto that they were together.

"Congratulations Naruto. Though I must ask. Did you have to go that far?" His teammate Shino asked. Apparently that was the question on everyone's mind as they nodded their heads.

"Maybe I didn't. However, he needed to be taught a lesson for his brash attitude towards me." Naruto finished with a stiff glare towards the medics carrying Kiba away.

"Very well. If that is how you feel then as my teammate I will support you." Shino finished with a nod. Hinata eyed Naruto for a moment. Naruto caught on to it and locked eyes with her. He couldn't help but to soften his gaze after staring in to her lavender eyes.

Satisfied Hinata smiled and nodded. "I will back you up too." Naruto let a small smile escape his lips.

"Naruto." The voice of Kurenai rang out causing Naruto to scowl. "I need you to go with Kakashi after all the fights are over." Naruto opened his mouth to protest but Kurenai shot him down with a stern glare.

"Fine. Speaking of which. Where is Sasuke?" Kakashi stepped forward.

"Over with Team Ten and Team Gai. I'd avoid Gai if I were you." Naruto looked over to the bowl cut wearing man and his mini clone. He shuddered slightly before looking back to the board.

Sabaku Kankuro vs Tsurugu Misumi

Naruto watched the fight with little interest. It certainly was an odd match up. A Suna puppeteer verses a man that can bend at all angles. Naruto wasn't exactly sure how he would fight him but he was pretty sure he would have some trouble. Eventually the fight ended when Kankuro hit Misumi with a few poison needles.

Hyuuga Hinata vs Tsuchi Kin

Naruto eyes widened. Hinata was up to fight, and against one of those new Sound ninja nonetheless. He gave Hinata a smile and a thumbs up before she hopped down to fight. Naruto couldn't help but to scowl at the sight of another Hyuuga frowning at the Hyuuga Heiress.

The fight itself was actually rather interesting to watch. This Kin girl used a fighting style that revolved around using sound to throw off the balance of her opponent. Sadly, he genjutsu didn't do much go as Hinata's eyes could see through it. That and he impeccable balance won her the fight.

Namikaze Mino vs Rock Lee

Naruto leaned forward on the rail to watch this fight. He did this for multiple reasons. One being that he had never seen this Rock Lee before today. Two being that he wanted to gauge the skills of the Namikaze and to study them well before beating him one day.

He watched the fight with his full attention. Mino seemed to be a good all round fighter. Some speed, some strength, and solid clones. All very useful for any Shinobi. However he was more surprised the Rock Lee only fought with Taijutsu. Not that he was bad at it, he was extremely skilled with it, it was simply surprising.

It shocked Naruto even more when Rock Lee took off these insanely heavy weights on his legs. After that the fight took on a new turn. Mino was put on the defensive while Lee simply pummeled him with shot after shot.

However the fight ended when Mino had created a slew of clones that used the chakra in their bodies to enhance their reflexes. After dozens of clones were popped one grabbed Lee's foot. Mino attacked him the next moment with a blue ball of chakra that sent Lee pinwheeling in to the wall.

Sabaku Temari vs Tenten

Naruto could tell that this fight was over the moment it started. The Temari girl had a fan which meant she was a wind user. Tenten used weapons by melee combat or by throwing them. So that meant she would have to get close to her to use her weapons effectively. And with that large fan that just wasn't happening. Hence why Temari won.

Kinuta Dosu vs Aburame Shino

Naruto smirked as he watched the fight between the two. It was rather obvious that he fought like all the other sound ninja fought. By using a sound oriented weapon. Shino, being the hidden genius that he was, had prepared for this. He had bugs crawl and block his ears while still relaying the noise to him carefully.

Needless to say Dosu was confused when he couldn't stun the Aburame with his sound gauntlet. Naruto couldn't contain his smirk when the aforementioned device blew up on his arm, thus rendering him crippled. His team had made it.

Nara Shikamaru vs Yamanaka Ino

Naruto didn't really pay attention to this fight. It was rather obvious that the blonde girl relied solely on her ability to hit people with her only jutsu. The Nara was easily able to outsmart her and force her to crack her head off the wall below Naruto. A truly weak woman.

Hyuuga Neji vs Akimichi Chouji

This seemed like an interesting enough fight. He had only seen Hinata fight with the Hyuuga style before and he assumed she had mastered it, being Heiress and all. However watching Neji fight the round Genin showed him just how wrong he was.

Neji took the entire fight to Chouji before the Genin could do anything. Neji was simply far to fast and skilled for anything of that sort. Soon he had beaten the Genin in to submission. Naruto would have applauded but he kept rambling about 'Fate' or something like that.

That and Hinata was right next to him. He didn't want to upset her for some reason. Any time he thought about her being upset his stomach would form knots. Blasted emotions. What purpose did they serve other than making him blush?

Sabaku Gaara vs Abumi Zaku

Hearing that name being called out by the proctor forced him to focus. This Gaara fellow was the same one he had met in the forest. The same one that wanted to tear him apart but was stopped by his 'Mother'. Who ever that was.

It shook Naruto even more when Gaara started the fight off by saying "Mother isn't interested in your blood but she will accept it. Together we will bathe in your blood." Now Naruto wasn't by any means insane or psychotic so to hear that he was still Gaara was still gunning for him made him slightly ill.

Especially since every move Zaku used was blocked by the massive sand wall that seemed to protect Gaara at all times. Imagine seeing Gaara coming at him with a wall of sand that just couldn't be broken down no matter how hard he tried. Scary right?

The fight was brought to a brutal finish when Gaara trapped Zaku inside of a bundle of Sand. The sand suddenly constricted and blood showered over the entire arena floor. Gaara smiled manically as the blood coated him before returning to his spot on the stands.

Naruto noticed that something moved above him. He looked up to see the Sandaime and the Yondaime up there with smiles. Naruto instantly frowned and felt rage boil into his entire being. Once again he had to fight back the Curse Seal with every inch of his willpower. He could have sworn the Sandaime gave him a frown.

The next few minutes were spent explaining the real reason behind the exams. Some kind of war substitution. Naruto didn't pay attention to that. Instead his mind drifted off to what Kakashi needed him for after this whole ordeal.

"Can I have all, cough, the winners to the, cough, arena floor?" The Proctor Hayate called out. Each winner descended to the arena floor. It was there that they were asked to draw out a number from the hat and call it out loud.

"1" Naruto called out.

"4" Hinata's meek voice answered.

"8" Neji grumbled.

"5" Sasuke answered.

"3!" Mino's happy voice carried out.

"6" Gaara droned out.

"2" Temari smirked.

"7" Kankuro replied.

"9" Shino stoically answered.

"10" Shikamaru called out seeing as how he was lazy enough to wait till the end.

Hayate leaned over as a person whispered in to his ear. He nodded and the person hopped away. "Alright the final matches have been decided, cough. The matches will be held in a month. And they are: Naruto vs Neji, Hyuuga Hinata vs Namikaze Mino, Sabaku Gaara vs Uchiha Sasuke, Aburame Shino vs Sabaku Kankuro, and Nara Shikamaru vs Sabaku Temari, cough.

And just like that. The matches for next month were on!

* * *

True to his word Kakashi came for Naruto once they got back to the leaf village. He begrudgingly agreed to go with him seeing as how Kurenai had asked him to. It was still too weird for Naruto to accept without feeling nervous about it.

Kakashi sensed this and did the only thing he could to calm the boy down. He knocked him out with a thunderous chop to the back of the neck. Naruto didn't even have time to cry out before his world went dark as midnight. Kakashi nabbed him and took him to a prepared room in the hospital.

It was there that Kakashi performed the seal that Naruto would need to keep the power under control. A sort of protection seal. It would hold the influence of the seal at bay. The only drawback being that it relied on his willpower of not wanting to use it. Of course he was still unconscious and this would all have to be explained to him.

When Kakashi was done the Sandaime, Danzo, and Anko came out of the corners of the room. Each wore a different expression. Anko was frowning but look relieved. Hiruzen looked relieved and Danzo looked pissed off.

"Not only the last Uchiha but now this promising Shinobi too?" Danzo cursed under his breath. This surprised all the members in the room.

"Why do you care about the boy?" Hiruzen asked with a lofted brow. Any time Danzo took an interest in anything it was almost always bad.

"I care for him in a capacity which Minato cannot. I see that he is a great ninja like his father and I refuse to ignore him. He deserves praise too. He is a ticking time bomb that I refuse to allow to go off." Danzo finished with a sage like nod.

Everyone was pretty much stunned except for Anko. "I call bullshit on that. You just want him around so you can keep tabs on him." Danzo thought about it for a moment then nodded.

"Yes I suppose that's true. But it would be better to monitor him here that to allow him to run around out there. Much like yourself." Hiruzen frowned.

"Danzo, you know that isn't true. Anko earned our trust many years ago. She has proved herself over and over." Kakashi stood up to speak.

"Well she had come to call this place home and that's why she wanted to stay. Kurenai told me that Naruto recently learned that practically the whole village had been lieing to him. If we are to make him stay then we need something to anchor him here." The other three looked at each other and nodded.

"What would you suggest?" Anko asked. Kakashi was about to answer when Danzo cut in.

"Hold up to your promise and train the boy for the month. If what Kakashi said is right then he will need a new Sensei to believe in." Hiruzen put a finger to his mouth to think.

"That actually might work. Anko, what do you say?" Anko sighed.

"I doubt the kid will still trust me but if he does then I will. Where would I train him at?" Kakashi smirked behind his mask.

"Why Training Ground 44." Anko smirked at that.

"Deal!" Danzo nodded.

"Then it is set. Kami help us. We cannot afford to lose him. Not when he could become the next Snake Sannin."

And thus plan: Keep Naruto here, was put in to motion.

* * *

**AN: Another one down and in the books! ****I hope you all enjoyed it greatly. I know I enjoyed writing it. I hope that this will be enough to tide ya'll over for the new year holiday and such. Though I must admit I am upset. This story has a rather decent amount of favorites and followers. But the number of reviews in less than half of that number. So I ask: As a Christmas present to me from you, please take 2 seconds and write me a review letting me know what you think. It truly helps me improve to better my story. Thank you.  
**

**See you all in chapter 10!  
**

**P.S: Happy Holidays!**


	10. Chapter 10

**The Cycle of Pain**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**AN: Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! ****Thanks to you all we have finally broken over 100 reviews! WooHoo!**

**Let me make something perfectly clear. Naruto is a kid who has little to no experience with Human emotions and mannerisms. Hinata is a girl stuck in an unrequited love cycle of sorts who latches on to the first thing that gives her support and courage. For Naruto, Hinata is the first girl he has found pretty and develops a crush on her (Much like Canon Naruto). This does not mean the pairing will be NaruHina ****(Chances are that it won't be NaruHina anyway. But I do need her infatuation with him for later in the story) ****. I am simply writing it for how the plot needs it to be. Do not assume anything please. Thank you.**

* * *

When Naruto woke up he felt a bit strange. His head felt like it was throbbing and his muscles slightly burned as if they had been overexerted. But for some reason he felt better than he had before. He didn't wake up freezing and in cold sweats so he must be getting better at handling the seal.

He opened his eyes to meet a sight he didn't expect to see. He was staring at the white ceiling of his apartment. How could that be when his last memory was that he was walking down the street when he felt something hit his neck. His eyes widened at that memory.

Only one thing could explain his sudden blackout: He was attacked and knocked unconscious. He growled lowly at the implication of that. Someone, in his home village, had attacked him and knocked him unconscious. He couldn't report it of course. No one would care enough for that.

"Easy there killer." He heard the taunting voice of someone in his house. He knew who this person was. It was hard not to considering all those who possessed a female voice like this. And only one of these females could get under Naruto's skin like this.

"What do you want Anko?" Naruto hissed at her. His eyes shifted around the room until his eyes landed on her. It was kind of hard to see being as it was only dawn and very few rays of light were around. Anko was standing in the shadows of one of the corners in the room.

"Is that anyway to greet your new Sensei for the month? Why Naruto I'm hurt. And to think I came here to congratulate you on getting this far." Anko stepped out of shadow shaking her head. Naruto seethed but was rather surprised that he didn't feel the pull of the mark.

"What are you talking about?" He raised an eyebrow at the well endowed woman. Anko smirked and rested her hands on her hips.

"You can't be that dumb. You made it to the finals." Naruto frowned at her. He remembered their deal of course. He was actually looking forward to it before he learned that she too had been lying to him. The very thought that she was trying to brush over it made him irate.

"Look I know that Orochimaru found you in the forest and told you everything. You have every right to be mad and angry at the village and me. But believe me when I say that I have been through the same thing and acting the way you are will only draw unwanted attention to yourself. Believe me, I know." Naruto swung his legs over the bed and stood up, narrowing his eyes at her.

"I would like to point out that you didn't go through anything even similar. You were hated for a brief time because of who trained you. They simply didn't trust you at all. I was born from that man. I have suffered for every day of my natural life. I am hated because I look like him. I am hated because they fear me and what I will become. And they are right to do so." Naruto finished by crossing his arms. Anko frowned but sighed anyway.

"Its not my place but give the village another chance. Allow me to train you so you can prove the villagers wrong about you. So you can make a clean name for yourself. Like me." Naruto eyed for a long while as if contemplating if he could even trust her to train him right.

"Fine. I agree. But know this: I do not trust you. I do not respect you. If you want either of those back you will have to earn it. If that's too troublesome for you then don't bother training me. I will train myself for the Exams." Anko's face went blank for a moment. She shot Naruto a heated glare, not that he backed down, before smiling at him.

"Deal. It will be more fun this way." Anko smirked before putting her hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Come on we're burning daylight!" Together the two of them vanished, off to go and train for the day.

* * *

[**Hyuuga Compound- One week later**]

"One more time Hinata. Its right foot step, left hand strike. Left foot step. Right hand strike." Hiashi called out with a small smile. He hadn't stopped smiling since he had found out that his daughter had made it in to the finals on her first try.

He watched her carefully as she performed the Jyuuken katas with ease. Normally he would be surprised if she could even stand without shaking or her voice trembling. But something had been unlocked in her heart that had given her confidence.

Something which he was all too happy to see and encourage. Granted they had only been training for a week but the improvement Hinata had made in that short time were wonderful. She had really stepped up her game and truly mastered a few styles of the Hyuuga that her father thought she would never master.

If only he had known that by simply praising her instead of bashing her would make Hinata grow so well.

"Very good Hinata. One more time." Hinata nodded and set her eyes on the training dummy. She struck out with perfection, nailing each of the areas with speed and grace. She smiled when she finished striking the dummy. Turning back to her father she bowed her head.

"Excellent work. You are free for the next hour but please be back here for lunch so we may continue." Hinata nodded. First thing she would do was get a shower. She had been working all morning long and thus had begun to build up quite the sweat.

While in the shower she began to think of her life since becoming a Ninja. To say things have changed would be an understatement. The Hyuuga Heiress had faced and dealt with some serious complications in the early stages of her career.

She had been thrust in to a team she didn't fully understand. Kurenai-sensei was someone whom she had known her whole life and trust but from an outsiders point of view she wasn't battle tested as a Jonin Sensei yet. At least that is what her father had said.

Then there were her teammates. Shino was very much like every other Aburame. Very stoic and composed individual. Very calm and logical when his choices were made. And most of the time Shino was right in his analysis of situations.

Next up was her most mysterious teammate. Naruto was an enigma of sorts for the young Hyuuga. At times he could be the most realistic person she knew. He could be cold and callous to the world around him. Then in the next moment he would be smiling and encouraging.

She sometimes felt that he was secretly a good leader. The words he used and the reasons for his actions almost always made sense to her and others. Hell, he had convinced to save Haku and use her for the greater even though she was still an enemy at the time.

She blushed slightly when her thoughts drifted back to Mino. She had quite the crush on the boy. He had always smiled and took his challenges head on. His never give up attitude and his dashing good looks had won her over awhile ago.

However she frowned when she thought more deeply about it. She couldn't remember a single time that Mino had actually held a conversation with her. She had actually tried to talk with him a few times. Most of the time however she was blown off in favor of Haruno Sakura.

Hinata simply could not understand why Mino liked Sakura. For the most part all Hinata saw was Mino try to be nice and ended up getting hit because of it. Hinata knew that she would never hit Mino for something, especially not him being nice to her.

After all, wasn't Sakura more interested in the Uchiha for that matter? She seemed to practically throw herself at him and would seemingly beg for some attention from him. Sasuke never even gave them a smile or anything to encourage them along. Sad really when one thought about it.

Hinata frowned when another thought entered her mind. She had to fight Mino. She didn't have the slightest idea how to even fight the son of the Yondaime. She didn't even know anyone that could help her form a battle plan unless...

Of course! Naruto was wonderful with plans. He could help her out if he wasn't busy. With his help and her skills there was no way she would lose to Mino. Hiashi may even be more proud that she beat the child of the Yondaime!

After getting dressed she informed her father that she was going to go out for a moment to get advice from her teammate. Hiashi politely reminded her that she needed to be back in forty minutes for lunch. Hinata nodded her understanding and took off to find Naruto.

Her search didn't take longer than five minutes at the most. With her Byakugan she could scan an entire area while moving at high speeds. She found Naruto with the Proctor of the second Exam in a little Dango shop. Together they were shoveling the food in to their mouths.

"Ha I win Anko-sensei!" Naruto called out with a proud smile. Anko had challenged him with eating 50 Dango sticks faster than she could. If Naruto won then she would teach him something that most normal Genin couldn't do. If he lost then he would be saddled with extra training every day.

"You got lucky this time brat." Anko huffed, crossing her arms under her sizable bust. Naruto blushed slightly and turned away. That's when he notice Hinata was looking down at her chest with a frown. Naruto pondered that for a moment before calling out her name.

"Hey Hinata." The blue haired girl was shocked out of her thought river and brought back to focus. She smiled and waved before walking in to the stand. Anko eyed the reaction between the two with a smile.

"Say Naruto who is this?" As if she didn't know. By the eyes it was glaringly obvious the girl was a Hyuuga. Even more so when she didn't have the caged bird seal on her forehead. Meaning she had to be from the main branch. And that only left one person left.

"Oh this is Hinata. She's from the Hyuuga Clan and she's on Team Eight with me." He smiled softly. Hinata was actually surprised that Naruto was smiling after a week of training alone. Little did she know that the training Anko gave him made him blow off all of his angry steam. That an Anko and he seemed to get along perfectly.

"Nice to meet you." She bowed to the older woman. Anko smiled and inclined her head to humor the girl. She would have left it at that but something told her that teasing the pair would be way too much fun.

"I see. So she is your girlfriend. Why didn't you tell me you had a girlfriend? You know how bad it is to lie to your Sensei." Anko said with a frown. Mentally she was laughing at the shocked and confused look on their faces. Naruto seemed confused because he wasn't quite sure what a girlfriend was.

Hinata was shocked and confused at herself more than anything. Why did her cheeks heat up at that? Did her mind accept that fact that easily?

"N-No!" the boy shouted at the same time, their cheeks red with heat. Anko laughed for a good minute or so before stopping.

"Relax brats I'm only kidding. Now Hinata, how can we help you?" Hinata looked puzzled for a second before brightening up.

"Oh right. I need Naruto's help." Anko and Naruto raised a brow.

"During the training month? You know there is a chance I will face you in the finals right?" Hinata shook her head at Naruto's words.

"Not training. A plan to defeat Mino. I know your good with plans so I thought you could help." Naruto looked to Anko who simply nodded in response. The pale child smiled and motioned Hinata to sit down. Anko had been teaching him to use his brain more to fight smarter and not harder.

"Okay so let's see. Mino is the son of the Yondaime. He is very well rounded by his training. He is rather fast and possesses some degree of strength. He is also somewhat proficient in Ninjutsu and clone making. So far so good?" He asked her, who simply stared wide eyed at him.

"How do you know this?" Naruto waved his hand nonchalantly.

"I watched his last fight. Now based on his last fight I can tell he moves in a very linear fashion. He fights very head on and rugged. Now with you I feel your best chance would be to work on your speed and ability to dodge. When he strikes, you counter. As for the clones. You will need something that does area damage or something you can use to hit multiple targets at once." Naruto finished with a sage like nod.

Hinata listened to his words, soaking them all in. If she was going to have any chance at winning this fight she would need to listen to him and use his strategy. She would have a few new things to talk to her father about that evening.

"Thank you Naruto but I really have to go. Good luck." Hinata spoke quickly before hopping away. Naruto gave her a slight wave of the hand before turning to Anko, who had been grinning the entire time.

She had begun training Naruto on his using his mind more. Only problem was that the kid was damn smart already and used his mind in such a fashion. However, he didn't have the battle mind like she did so she trained him on that. For that he would be forever grateful.

Needless to say pride had filled her being seeing the product of some of her training already. "What?" Naruto asked, slightly confused as to why she was just sitting there grinning. He had to remind himself that it was Anko-sensei after all.

"Nothing. Now come along. I have a surprise for you. But if you aren't at the ground in five minutes I will change my mind." She smiled, showing off her two rows of shining white teeth before vanishing. Naruto's eyes bulged out before he dashed out of the stand, leaving a rather sizable amount of money behind.

* * *

[**The Forest of Death**]

Naruto ran as hard as his body to carry him. He bobbed and weaved through the streets before he took it to the rooftops. He bounded along those until he reached his training ground. Anko was standing in the center tapping her foot with each second that went by.

"43 more seconds and you have been late brat." She spoke evilly with a smirk. Naruto _really_ hated when she did that. It was simply way too creep for a woman to do. Especially considering how well she does it.

"Yeah well I got lost on the road of life." Naruto commented snidely. Anko frowned before bopping him on the head.

"Do you want the surprise or not?" Naruto sighed and nodded. Anko smirked.

"Good!" She said in a ecstatic manner. Naruto was left marveling at how bipolar that woman could be when she wanted to be. She performed a few simple hand seals before slamming her hand on the ground.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" The words were followed by a plume of smoke that covered the entire area. When the smoke cleared Naruto nearly had a heart attack. Looming above him was perhaps the largest snake he had ever seen.

Albeit this snake must have been old because the scales on its body were gray. Heck if Naruto didn't know any better he would have though that this was a snake made of stone that could move and breathe.

"**Who dares to summon the holder of the contract?**" The Snake's booming voice traveled over the entire area. Naruto could practically feel his knees weaken at the sight and voice of the snake. Not to mention the enormous size of it.

Anko practically felt giddy at the sight of Naruto alone. She smirked and turned her attention back to the snake. "I, Mitarashi Anko, have summoned you. I wish for another to sign the contract. The boy to my right. Naruto." The snake lowered its head so that it was eye level with Naruto.

Naruto couldn't help but feel tiny under its gaze. The large gray silted eye seemingly peered in to his soul. It seemed like the snake was searching his character and his thoughts. Judging him every second the gaze was held on him.

Suddenly the snake's mouth snapped open, much to Naruto's surprise. The hot breath of the snake smacked the boy in face. Anko walked over to the mouth and held out her hand. As if on cue a scroll shot out of the throat of the snake and in to Anko's hand.

"This is the Contract of the Snakes, Naruto. Orochimaru gave it to me and now I am giving it to you. Snakes have a bad reputation from Orochimaru. It will be up to us to change that reputation, should you accept this." Anko said in a rare moment of seriousness. Naruto noticed that woman's eyes hardened at him. She meant every word.

"I'll take it." He said with equal firmness. Satisfied with his answer Anko unraveled the scroll and pointed to an empty spot below her name.

"Sign your name in blood here." Naruto nodded and did such. As he did Anko watched over him. She studied the way his face moved and his body structure. In a few more years Naruto would be one handsome looking man. His pale skin and exotic eyes added a layer of elegance to him.

Anko blushed and pushed that thought out her head. She had to focus on the now and not her thoughts. When Naruto was done she rolled the scroll back up and tossed it back in to the mouth of the snake, who vanished moments after.

"Well don't just stand there! Try it out!" Naruto looked up at her with a slight frown before putting his mind to use. He had seen her perform the hand signs, she did it slow enough for him, so he knew that. What he didn't know was how much chakra to use to make it work?

Deciding that he had nothing to lose at this point he made the hand seals slowly as he didn't want to mess them up. He felt the chakra inside of his mold and begin to take a form he had never used in his life. Oddly enough, he could feel the pull of something else on his chakra. He finished the jutsu and poured chakra in to it.

"**Kuchiyose no Jutsu**!" He called out victoriously as he slammed his hand on the ground. A plume of smoke exploded from his hand and easily covered the immediate area around him and Anko. Naruto couldn't help but to smile as he awaited the smoke to clear.

Anko couldn't contain her laughter when the smoke cleared and only a tiny little snake was left behind. It slithered around a few times before vanishing as fast as it came. Naruto frowned at the ground, clearly disappointed with his lack of skill.

"Don't worry. Most people-" Anko was cut off from her sentence when Naruto called out the jutsu again. The same scene followed this one. Only this time, when the smoke cleared, there was a relatively decent size snake. One might even want to keep it for a house pet.

The grin on Naruto's face grew to the point that he could feel his muscles straining to hold on. Anko would have scolded him for being too prideful and full of himself but this time she would allow it. For someone to get even this close on their _second _try was damn impressive.

"Yeah! Making progress now!" He exclaimed with a wide smile. Anko lightly patted him on the shoulder. Naruto looked up at her, her face was drawn in to one of pure seriousness.

"That's fine and dandy Naruto but you have to be very careful. Some Snake Summons will serve you without question. Others will demand to test your skill before allowing you to summon them. Others, some of the strongest ones, will demand a sacrifice or some other type of payment before fighting for you. And if you can't best them or pay their debt, they will try to eat and kill you." Naruto swallowed hard against his will. Fighting colossal snakes sounded way to hard for him to do right now.

"Right." He said quietly. Anko removed her hand and grinned down at him. There was her bipolar streak again.

"We will work on that later. Right now your are missing out on your laps. I'll give you a three second head start." Naruto's eyes widened and darted in to the forest, running for his life. Two seconds later a shrill scream was heard throughout the training ground.

* * *

Sasuke panted heavily in sweat. He thought for sure that the training Kakashi would put him through would be nothing. The man was hardly ever on time and when he was around he was lazy as hell. Nothing could convince the Uchiha otherwise.

Well almost nothing. This hellish training was certainly doing the job of making him think twice. So far it had been nothing but physical exercises. But these exercises were like nothing Sasuke had ever been through in his life.

The running alone was enough to completely drain him of all his energy. Add in all the push ups, sit ups, leg kicks and leaf balancing exercises as well and Sasuke was ready to hit the ground crying every night. And to think that all this training was simply so he could learn one move. Albeit a rather powerful move but one move nonetheless.

"Come now Sasuke, keep moving. Itachi wouldn't allow you to rest so neither will I." Kakashi said, whipping a kunai directly at Sasuke's barely running body. The boy barely dodged it before picking his speed back up in to his run.

Simply bringing up Itachi was a sure fire way to put the pep back in the Uchiha's step. It never failed to amaze Kakashi that Itachi brought out such a murderous amount of energy in the boy. Being that fixated on something wasn't even close to being healthy.

Of course he didn't have to bring up Itachi. That wasn't the only person that Sasuke hated with a large burning passion. Kakashi had recently learned that the son of Orochimaru was becoming a huge pain for the last loyal Uchiha.

Kakashi wasn't sure how he felt about Naruto. He understood that the boy had pain growing up. Hell, he even respected him a bit for not giving in to the pressure when he was a kid. But something about the boy made red flags go off in his head.

Either way that was a topic for another time. Right now he had an Uchiha to train.

* * *

[**The Day Before The Finals**]

Naruto sat at the Dango shop with Anko and drummed his fingers against the table. His team decided that there would be no harm in meeting up before the Exams. Just to talk and catch up a bit, after their daily training of course. Anko and Kurenai had agreed to the idea.

But so far Naruto had yet to see hide nor hair of his team. Of course that might be due to the fact that the Exams were tomorrow. Naruto had never seen the village so alive before in his life. People were practically buzzing with anticipation for the fights.

What made Naruto even more nervous was the fact that he was in the Exams. He was part of the reason these people were going haywire. He was part of the their joy and to be honest, it felt pretty good. He wasn't hated for one fleeting moment of his life.

Naruto's vision turned back to Anko, who stared in to the streets as well. Over the month the two of them had gotten very close. Closer than Kurenai could ever hope to get with the boy. While it was true that Naruto hated her and didn't trust her at first she had worked that out.

All it took was showing him her curse seal and telling her story with Orochimaru to earn it back. After that the two got along with a new found respect. Naruto had adopted Anko's way of earning the villagers love instead of hating them for their neglect.

Anko couldn't have been more proud of Naruto and her self in some regards. She had cracked Naruto open, got him to remove a vast majority of his anger or at least suppress it again, and built a strong bond with him.

Then again some might say their relationship was weird. While it was true that they were Sensei and Student it was a bit more than that. They were friends and good ones at that. They understood each other like no one else could.

"Hey look! Shino!" Naruto called out loudly, breaking Anko's thoughts. Sure enough Shino was making his way in to the Dango stand. And as always the boy's expressions was unreadable but Naruto could tell he was happy.

"Hello Naruto. I take it training went well?" Naruto grinned sheepishly and gave him a thumbs up. Unbeknownst to him, his black sleeve had rolled down slightly to reveal two brand tattoo marks. "Are those Tattoos?" He asked.

Naruto opened his eyes and blinked. It took him a moment to look down at his arm to see the summoning brands on his arms. Naruto opened his mouth to explain but remembered that there was a chance of fighting Shino. Not that he wasn't prepared, Anko and He had developed strategies for everyone just in case.

"Its a secret." Shino blinked behind his glasses. "I would love to tell you and all but there is the chance I will be facing you so I don't want to give anything away." He finished with a smile. Shino adjusted his glasses and nodded.

"I understand the logic behind your actions. A wise move Naruto." Naruto only gave him a small smile and a nod in return.

"How did your training go?" He inquired carefully.

"I feel adequately prepared for the Exams if that is what you are hinting at." Naruto chuckled nervously at being figured out so easily.

"Think you could take me on?" He asked, wiggling his brows. Shino stared at him for the longest time.

"No." Both Naruto and Anko looked floored.

"W-What?" He asked confused. Did he not have faith in his own strength?

"Let's think about it for a moment. Assuming You and I best every opponent in our way and make it to the last round. That means we will have to beat every person we face, not including injuries and chakra usage. By the time we fought we would likely be exhausted and with you being superior in physical combat I believe I would lose." The Aburame finished and, by the end of the tale, even Anko had to admit he was right.

"It takes some serious brain power to know when you are beaten and when to give up." Anko chimed in. "You have the makings of a Chunin already."

"I thank you for your kind words." He inclined his head slightly. To him, she was still just the proctor of the second exam and a Jonin albeit a special one.

"H-hello." Hinata's meek voice called out. Naruto wondered why she was stuttering again. Must be the nervousness from the coming Exams.

"Hello Hinata." Shino droned out with a brief nod of his head.

"Hi Hinata. How did your training go?" Naruto asked. Hinata twiddled her fingers. The amount of people in the village that were out and about were starting to get to her. It was kinda frightening for her.

"Wonderful actually. I-I learned a lot." Naruto gave her a small smile.

"Good! Do you think you can beat Mino now?" He asked and watched her reaction. Her whole body stiffened.

"Y-yes." Her voice sounded firm enough but her knew better. She didn't think she had it in her and would need a major confidence boost to win that fight. Only question now was: What could work for her?

"Nice to see my team still gets along." Kurenai said with a smile as she popped up. Anko watched Naruto carefully when she arrived. His smile slipped slightly but for the most part he maintained complete control of his emotions.

Anko and Kurenai had talked about Naruto before this whole meeting was set up. She was really rather worried that Naruto would just listen to her and not be a proper student. The way Naruto was being it was like he was more of a soldier than anything else.

And that is where Anko came in. She was meant to train the boy sure but her secondary goal was to build Naruto up like a human. To make him realize what life is and how it works. And judging by the smile he wore most of the time, it had worked.

"So Naruto, how was training with Anko here?" Kurenai asked with an amused look. Both Hinata and Shino turned to Naruto, curious as to how his training went. The poor sod crossed his arms over his chest and frowned.

"She's crazy I tell you." He grumbled out remembering the endless wave of kunai that seemed to come from no where when he made a snide comment.

"Why Naruto I'm hurt!" Anko said in mock hurt. Funny thing was she kept her smirk the whole time. "What have I ever done to make you feel this way?" His face twisted in to one of semi anger.

"Do the giant snakes ring a bell?" Hinata and Kurenai chuckled. Shino paled slightly in fear of a giant snake. Anko waved a hand dismissively in the air.

"Oh calm down. We worked that out already remember?" Naruto nodded but grumbled anyway. Shino eyed the boy curiously now. He had been thinking about his pale teammate since he got here. Something about him gave him the aura that Naruto was in a whole new league now.

"Yeah Yeah." He waved a hand dismissively at her this time, causing everyone around them to chuckle. The two really got along quite well despite their personality traits. Something Kurenai wished she had with the boy but she was happy that he was happy.

"Come on Naruto, was it really that bad?" Shino asked. He couldn't resist to tease Naruto just for a moment.

"Try running 100 laps while dodging kunai and jutsu thrown your way only to reach the end and a giant snake comes out to eat you. Every damn time!" Naruto pouted softly. Kurenai noted how he seemed to be happier now than he had been before.

"That doesn't sound so bad. You should have been prepared." Anko smacked her hand on the table a few times with a smirk.

"Here, here!" Naruto gawked at Shino like he was crazy for encouraging Anko to keep up her crazy behavior like that. The rest of them carried on like good friends would and laughed their stress away for the next hour or so. It was around sunset that they all decided to go rest, they would need it after all.

* * *

A red haired boy watched the group smile and laugh with each other. He idly wondered what it might be like to have friends. What it might be like to have emotions. Hell, the only thing he really wanted was a purpose to live on.

Gaara watched with an emotionless face as everyone departed away from their stand. Each of them seemed to be happy and nervous at the same time. He wished he could understand emotions but alas he could not. The only thing he could understand was 'Mother'.

Mother understood him and gave him what he needed. Mother protected him when he needed it and gave him control over the sands. The only payment mother asked for was blood. And lots of the red liquid.

That is exactly why he felt so bothered by Naruto's appearance in to his life. He knew nothing of the boy, other than his name, and yet he had managed to make Shukaku intrigued. Enough so that he wouldn't kill him till it came time.

Oddly enough Shukaku had been relatively quiet since meeting Naruto. Gaara had inquired why that was but the Ichibi was very tight lipped about it. Something about Naruto being able to show them the true path to proving their exsistence. Something Gaara simply couldn't pass up. Even if it meant not killing the pale Shinobi.

"I hope you have grown strong Naruto." And with that the Suna child vanished in a swirl of sand.

* * *

A ROOT agent ran through the halls of the hidden base. He had done his job in watching Naruto and the Ichibi vessel. He was asked to update as soon as he found anything interesting and he believed that this had qualified. He pushed open the doors to the throne room and knelt to the ground.

"Lord Danzo, report on the child of Orochimaru and the Shukaku Vessel." Danzo moved his one eye lazily over to where the other man knelt. He toyed with the idea of dismissing him but figured he better here him out.

"Go on." He droned out. The man nodded and stood up to his full height.

"While I was observing Naruto I noticed something. When I took a closer look I spotted the Ichibi container watching the boy and his friends. He seemed to have a genuine interest in Naruto as he stood there for hours merely watching." The man finished, bowing his head low.

Well that was certainly interesting. What could the Ichibi container possibly want with the son of Orochimaru? Was it good or was it bad? These were the questions that burned inside of Danzo's head after he heard the news.

"How long has this been going on?" Danzo inquired. The man's head lifted with a plain expression.

"On the second day of my surveillance I noticed the Ichibi container watching over Naruto's training. I made a note of it in my report." He held up a stack of papers. "That was the first time I noticed him. He didn't show up again for roughly three more weeks but he was there. After that his next appearance was this afternoon." Danzo mentally sighed.

This sounded extremely troublesome. What did Gaara have to gain by doing this? Sure he expected spying by a rival Genin, that was just good ninja skills, but why would he just vanish the next day? It made no sense to the logical brain of Danzo.

"Very good. Dismissed." He waved his hand lazily. The man nodded and left his report in his place. The next moment a pale, emotionless boy emerged from the shadows.

"What are you going to do about Lord Danzo?" The boy asked, inciting the elder to rub his chin in thought.

"Nothing we can do except to watch them both. We will keep an eye on them tomorrow and during the Exam." The boy blinked once.

"Something troubling you?" Danzo sighed.

"I have a bad feeling about tomorrow."

* * *

**AN: I am sorry. I know its a filler-ish type chapter but I had to set events up. There is a hint in this chapter as to what is going to happen during the invasion and after. +1 to whom ever can find it!**

**As normal please let me know what you think of the chapter. Thank you all for the wonderful reviews. You are truly all beautiful people.**

**I'll see you all next time!**

**P.S: I am actually looking for insiperation to write another story. I have a few ideas in my head but I wouldn't mind hearing some other ones. If you have a story idea you would like me to do please PM so we can discuss it. Of course this does not mean I will slow/stop production of this story. Just something else to write. Thank you again.  
**


	11. Chapter 11

**The Cycle of Pain**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**AN: See ya'll at the bottom.**

* * *

Naruto's heart was pounding. No scratch that, his heart was hammering away at his rib cage. He had faith in himself but this was on a grander scale. Like nothing he had ever experienced in his life time. As he looked over the crowd he felt his pulse quicken.

Watching him fight were the very same people that had neglected him all his life. The same people that had been nothing but rude and nasty to him. All he ever did was mind his own business and do his job. Nothing more and nothing less.

Yet somehow he felt the desire to protect them. He felt an inkling to make sure that they were protected from all kinds of harm. What sparked this desire? The one and only Mitarashi Anko. She only had turned most of Naruto's hate in to a weapon for the defense of the village, rather than a weapon to destroy.

What was even more surprising is that Naruto enjoyed it. He liked not having to feel hate in his body. It was such a vile thing after all. And while he had forgiven Anko and Kurenai he will never forget what they kept from him. That was just something he couldn't let go.

In a way he kind of felt like his Father. Orochimaru was a very hateful person for reasons he couldn't figure out. Naruto felt a pang of sadness in his heart for his anger driven Father. The poor sod was ruled by his baser emotions.

That brought up another topic in his head. He would never get the chance to learn about his Father. The chances of Orochimaru sitting down and actually being a father were slim to none. The realization of this fact cut Naruto deeply to his heart.

"Hello Naruto." A soft voice from behind him called out. Naruto turned around only to smile at the sight. Haku had come to visit him before due to enter the fight.

"Hey Haku. How are you?" The girl smiled at him.

"I've been doing good. The Yondaime made me a Chunin and had me running missions for the past month. I had enough saved up to buy a home for myself." Naruto smiled at her.

"Good job. I'm glad to see you are getting along in Konoha without me." The ice user frowned at Naruto. The boy wondered what he said that made her upset.

"That's actually what I came to talk with you about." Naruto raised a brow. He had a pretty good idea of what she wanted to ask him.

"Yes?" He inquired. The girl sucked in a breath before letting it out slowly.

"I want you to come live with me." Naruto sighed. He knew that was what she was going to ask him. It made sense right? Why else would she bring up her home with him?

"Haku, you know I can't do that." The girl looked so distraught and crestfallen that Naruto thought about accepting her offer simply because of that. But luckily the boy stood his ground.

"Please Master Naruto. Being without you is slowly becoming unbearable for me." Haku's voice sounded destroyed. Naruto felt horrible about the situation. He had saved Haku from one master only to be tricked in to becoming her new master. He didn't like the role but she did need him. Without him she would slowly lose faith in life again.

"Fine." He finally grumbled out. The girl lit up like her whole world just became brighter. She bowed many times. Naruto quickly looked around to make sure no one saw anything.

"Oh thank you!" She sped over and wrapped him in a hug. Naruto squirmed slightly in the odd embrace but relented when he realized Haku wasn't letting him go quite yet. Suddenly he felt a very unwanted presence in the room with them.

"Why Naruto, why didn't you tell me you were a master?" A smirking Anko emerged from the shadows. Haku quickly put Naruto down and fought down a blush of embarrassment. Naruto folded his arms over his chest and frowned.

"Tell again, why are you spying on me?"

"I came to wish you luck of course!" Naruto raised a brow at that.

"How much do you have riding on me?" Anko's smirk grew twice its size.

"Enough to make me a very happy lady. So do your Sensei a favor and win." She smiled before puffing away in smoke. Naruto grumbled about crazy teachers before he realized who was still in the room.

"Who was that?" Naruto sighed. This was going to be rough.

"That was my Sensei for the past month. Mitarashi Anko." Haku tilted her head sideways.

"Do you want me to kill her?" She asked calmly but Naruto could feel the ice in her words when she spoke. He held up a hand and shook his head.

"No, I actually like her as my Sensei." Haku nodded. Naruto was actually relieved after that. He was afraid Haku might kill her simply because she thought that Anko made him angry. Still it would be and interesting fight to see once Haku got a bit stronger.

"We had better get going. No telling who is waiting for us." Naruto turned away from the window he was staring out of and left the room, Haku close behind him. The two walked up a flight of stairs to get to the stand where all the others were.

"Hello Naruto, I thought you might not show up." Shino commented. Naruto smirked, glad that his teammate could ease a slight bit of his tension.

"Not in your lifetime." Shino adjusted his glassed and shrugged.

"I plan on living for a substantial amount of time." Naruto chuckled.

"The Shinobi world is a funny place." He took this time to look around. Sasuke was there in a new outfit. Hinata was next to Sasuke and watching over the arena. Neji was glaring at Naruto through the corner of his eyes. Mino was laughing at a joke that Shikamaru made about the situation. The Suna siblings were all in their own little corner. Everyone was here and ready.

"Hey, you nervous?" Mino snuck up on Naruto and asked him. The pale shinobi moved his silted eyes to meet the boy's piercing blue ones. They simply stared at each other for a little bit before Naruto decided there was no need to be mean to him for asking a simple question.

"Maybe. There is a lot of people here after all." Mino smiled and rubbed the back of his head.

"Aren't you worried about fighting?" Naruto smirked.

"Nope, because I have an ace in my sleeve." Mino stopped smiling and studied Naruto for a moment. The red haired boy thought of many different things that Naruto could be talking about. But only one this really popped in to his head. It was outrageous but it was a possibility.

Mino leaned in and whispered to Naruto. "You can summon things can't you?" Naruto nearly fell out of the of stands and on to the Arena floor. How this boy could be so stupid and yet perceive so much sometimes was scary.

"How did you know?" Naruto questioned quietly. Mino smiled and stuck up a thumb.

"Because I can too!" The boy declared proudly. Luckily for them the rest of the people were too busy to even notice his declaration. Naruto raised a brow, may as well find out as much as he could about a potential enemy.

"Which ones?" He asked.

"Toads, you?"

"Snakes." His eyes widened.

"Wait you mean like that Oro guy?" Mino asked while scratching head. Considering there were only three people that could summon snakes including him there was only one person he could be talking about.

"Yup." Naruto let a small smile grace his lips as Naruto paled slightly.

"Snakes are scary." Naruto really couldn't disagree. Snakes were some of the scariest things he had ever had the displeasure of fighting.

"I know." Naruto was actually kind of worried. Toad summons were nothing to mess around with. They were the personal summons of Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, and the Yondaime Hokage. They were awesome fighters and wonderful defenders. Something the Snakes weren't.

Although Snakes were just as feared as Toads. They could blend in to most surroundings without detection. They could swallow most other summons if given the time. Plus they were fierce fighters in their own rights. Not to mention their speed and grace.

"Would Hyuuga Neji and Naruto please come to the Arena floor." Shiranui Genma spoke. The senbon chewing Jonin had just arrived seemingly out of no where. Everyone in the fighters stand looked to both Naruto and Neji expectantly.

Neji sent one more glare towards Naruto before hopping down to the ground. Naruto walked over to the rail and looked over. The same innate fear crept in to his heart again. He felt his palms begin to heat up and begin sweating.

"Naruto." Hinata called out quietly. Naruto slowly turned his head towards her. "Please don't hurt him too badly." Naruto's jaw dropped. She wanted him to hold back?

"I can't promise anything." and with that he dropped down to the ground with a thud. He walked towards the center, locking eyes with his opponent. Neji never moved from his spot nor showed a single ounce of fear.

"Alright you two, rules are simply. Everything in permitted but I reserve the right to step in and stop the fight if it gets out of hand. Killing is allowed but try not to let it get that far." He nodded once to see if they understood. Naruto and Neji nodded in unison.

"Alright then." The two Genin separated from each other in a flash. "Begin!" the civilians in the stands exploded with entertainment. They had found this fight to be something that could be a great opener. Neji, the genius from two years ago and Hyuuga prodigy, and Naruto, son of one of the greatest Ninja to ever live and stronger than the current Genin of the year.

Neji dashed forward, intent on ending the fight quickly. He launched a flurry of attacks at Naruto's chest. His fingers glided through the air at him. Sadly for him, air was all that his fingers managed to hit. Naruto had dashed back at the last second.

"You're a lot faster than I thought you would be." Naruto said, slowly rolling his shoulders. The Hyuuga sneered that Naruto was taking this so lightly.

"You should simply give up now. You are destined to lose this fight." Neji said with an untold amount of certainty in his voice.

"I'm destined to lose?" the Hyuuga genius nodded. "We shall see about then then won't we?" Naruto dashed forward and unleashed his own flurry of attacks at him. Neji knew that going toe to toe with a Hyuuga in Taijutsu was suicide.

But the speed at which Naruto was attacking made it hard for Neji to counter. Every time Neji would see an opening another attack would come from seemingly no where. What's more is that style Naruto was using capitalize on flexibility and precision.

Naruto eventually landed a flush kick to Neji's stomach that sent him tumbling backwards. Neji rose and dusted himself off.

"I do not know why you insist on fighting Fate." Naruto frowned.

"What is it with you and this fate thing huh? Why would you even train to better yourself if you were destined to beat me already? Why would anyone fight for anything if they couldn't win or change something? Your vision is flawed Hyuuga." Neji's Byakugan activated as he ran to Naruto.

Naruto acted quickly, running through a few hand seals he slammed his hands on the ground. "**Doton: Doryuheki**!" Instantly two walls appeared out of the ground. One in front of Neji and one directly behind him. Neji skidded to a stop right in front of the wall.

Naruto ran forward and up the wall. Once he got to the top he jump high in to the air, running through more hand seals. "**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu**!" He expelled the large balls of fire from his mouth and directly at Neji. The Hyuuga dashed to the side to dodge the ball.

Neji felt pretty smug that he had been able to move out of the fireball. What he didn't account for was the ball landing perfectly in between the two rock walls. The ball exploded and fire shot sideways out on both sides.

Neji jumped back quicker after he got a slight burn on the side of his body. He patted his arm as the bandages caught aflame. Naruto smirked as he landed on top one of his walls while the other one crumbled.

"Some Genius you are. Couldn't even think that far ahead." Neji's eyes practically began to blaze with rage at this point. With speed Naruto didn't know he had, Neji dashed up the wall and hit both of Naruto's shoulders with two simultaneous palm strikes.

Naruto flew off his rock wall, which fell apart after he was hit, and landed harshly on the ground. Anko wasn't kidding when she those strikes hurt. Naruto could barely feel the area where the strikes had landed. Not only that but those two last jutsu had slowed him down slightly.

Taijutsu was now out of the question. Naruto hopped to his feet and performed a jutsu. "**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu**!" He called out again. Neji suddenly stopped running and stared at the ball of flame.

He begun spinning when he called out "**Kaiten**!" a blue ball exploded from his skin and surrounded him. The ball clashed with the sphere of chakra. Smoke exploded from the two jutsu and when the smoke cleared, Neji was left smirking.

* * *

"The hell was that!" Mino cried out. Shikamaru groaned behind him and rubbed his neck.

"It was obviously a protection Jutsu." Sasuke focused on the two. He felt confident in his abilities but both of those Genin down there could break him down if they got the chance. And now, he could return the favor.

"I have faith in Naruto's ability to win." Shino commented quietly. Hinata nodded softly.

"As do I." Mino rested his arms on his head with a confused look on his face.

"I don't really see it. That Hyuuga can shut down chakra flow right? If Naruto gets hit too much he will lose the ability to fight." Off in a dark corner the Suna siblings were listening in with a frown.

"These kids really believe in their perfect little room eh?" The taller male Kankuro asked the group. The girl Temari snorted.

"Konoha is confusing to me. Believing they can defeat obviously stronger people." Gaara had walked forward away from the group. He walked over to the rail with a small frown.

"Naruto will win." Both Temari and Kankuro looked at him like he had grown three new heads. Gaara never had faith in anyone. Hell, he even looked like he actually believed in Naruto from their points of view.

"Gaara do you actually believe in Naruto?" Temari asked. The Ichibi container turned around and looked his sister in the eye.

"Yes. Mother believes in him. He has a touch of destiny on him, Mother has told me so." Temari and Kankuro were floored. Shukaku actually believed in someone and convinced Gaara to believe in it as well? Something was up with the Shukaku Container.

* * *

Up in the stands Hiashi looked down at the battle with a blank face. He had to remain calm since the elders of the family were here. But internally he was stunned. Neji had managed to learn a move reserved for the main house only.

Something about that was odd enough. Hiashi couldn't remember training the boy since he had his hands full with Hinata. He knew no one else in the main house held any love for Neji. The boy did hate them after all.

But here he was using a move far beyond his own age. Truly the boy was a genius.

* * *

Up in the stand the Yondaime, Sandaime, and Kazekage watched the fight with interest. Especially after Neji pulled that move.

"Truly Konoha has some wonderful Ninja at such a young age." The Kazekage droned out. His voice never betrayed his true emotions on the matter. The Sandaime nodded softly.

"Neji is quite the prodigy. Still I never expected him to use such a move at such a young age." The Yondaime nodded his agreement.

"Very true but if he hadn't he would be a smoldering crisp right now."

"Certainly a very interesting way to start these fights, wouldn't you agree?" The Kazekage spoke, a rare amount of entertainment in his voice.

"Yes it is. Still I wonder how your son will do in his bout against the Uchiha. I heard Kakashi trained him in to the ground." Minato spoke with a smile on his face. The Kazakage's eyes narrowed harshly to the battlefield.

"We shall see. There is a reason Gaara has never been injured in his life." Minato wondered why someone would speak so harshly about their own son. He was about to speak when Hiruzen cut him off.

"Look, the fight is about to pick up again."

* * *

"Can you understand now? It is pointless to keep fighting." Naruto huffed and stood to his full height.

"I'm already tired of you and this is the first time we have ever even met." Naruto couldn't explain it but something about Neji rubbed him the wrong way.

"Wrong, I have known about you for a while now. Who wouldn't know about the hated Naruto? Son of one of the most vile Shinobi to ever live. Your very appearance makes the rest of us cringe at the memory you bring." Neji finished with a hateful sneer.

Naruto felt it again. He didn't want to and he hated the feeling that boiling up inside him but he couldn't help it. His father and his history were a very sensitive subject for him. He knew he should reveal too much of his abilities but his mind wasn't thinking clearly at this point.

"Prepare to know fear." Naruto felt his anger boil up. He was seeing red at this point and the only thing he could focus on was Neji at the moment. He felt his legs move of their own accord and take off towards Neji with renewed vigor.

Neji blinked and easily side stepped a right cross to his face. He was forced to duck under a high kick aimed for his neck. Naruto placed one hand on the ground to rotate himself in to a spin, bringing his legs down and at his mid section.

Neji was sent skidding back, clutching his stomach. Naruto stood up quickly and pointed his right arm towards Neji with a sinister grin on his face. "**Sen'eijashu**!" he called out with a snarl. A moment later five long green snakes launched out of his sleeve and drove towards Neji with haste.

The Hyuuga watched with a mild case of awe and shock. Sure he heard of the Snakes being summons to Orochimaru and Anko but he had never seen them used in this manner. But if Naruto could use them like this then couldn't also summon them to do battle?

Neji was so distracted he also got bit by a snake that came too close to his face. The Hyuuga Genius bobbed and weaved of the way of the snakes. Soon he was nearing the tree line of the Arena. He decided that they would have a harder time trying to get him in there so he went in.

The snakes wrapped themselves around the trunk of a tree tightly. Naruto smirked as the snakes pulled him towards the tree like a sort of grappling hook. When he landed he sucked in a deep breath. "**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu**!" He launched the jutsu in to the forest where the Hyuuga hide.

Neji was forced to leave his tree and the miniature forest he was in. Naruto smirked when he saw Neji land. He only had one shot at this and if it didn't work then he would be almost out of chakra for the next few hours or so. "**Doton: Doryudan**!"

When Neji landed he was forced to roll again as a flaming tree came down and nearly crushed him. When he looked his eyes widened to their maximum. Coming straight at him was a dragon made of hardening of mud. The dragons head alone was big enough to crush him. Not to mention the body.

Neji would have acted quickly. He would have begun spinning to activate the **Kaiten** to defend himself but something stopped him. As the dragon of the mud roared to life he spotted something just past the dragon. He spotted Naruto.

Naruto was staring directly at Neji. His green silted eyes were blazing with a hateful fury. He could feel the glare of Naruto pierce in to his very soul. He could have sworn at that moment that he saw Orochimaru staring right at him. Truly something miraculous to witness.

A moment later the dragon smashed directly in to Neji. The mud shaped beast took him from his rooted position in the ground and carried him straight in to the wall. The beast drove hard against the wall before Naruto allowed the jutsu to stop.

The entire Arena was dead silent. Each of them had felt the killing wave of intent that Naruto released. It wasn't until Genma stepped forward and declared Naruto the winner that the crowd went wild. It felt kind of good to be praised for once. It was certainly something that Naruto could get used to.

When he returned to the stands he received a round of applause from his teammates. A smirk from Sasuke, a groan from Shikamaru and even a clap from Gaara. "That was...fun."

Naruto looked to Gaara with a sideways glance. Did he just say that watching him fight was fun? Talk about creepy. "Uhh thanks?" the Suna boy nodded his head in regards to the pale child. His celebration was cut short when Genma spoke up.

"Namikaze Mino and Hyuuga Hinata to the Arena please." Hinata turned completely white at this. All the attention in the room turning to her. Not to mention all the pressure was on her and Mino. The surprising thing was that Mino was no where to be found.

"Don't worry Hinata. I am sure you are ready to take him down a peg." Naruto gave her a smile. Behind him he could her Sasuke scoff.

"That Hyuuga could never beat the Yondaime's son." Naruto's face dropped in to one of anger. He lifted up his sleeve and...

"Snakes!" he heard Haku scream from behind him. The summoned snakes snapped and hissed at Sasuke, causing all attention to be turned to him.

"Watch yourself Uchiha. You may have a chip on your shoulder being trained by Kakashi and all. But never forget that you are weaker than me. You will always be weaker than me." Sasuke growled and cocked his arm back and poised it to strike Naruto in the face.

Much to everyone's surprise Naruto did not budge or attempt to move out of the way. A sudden blur of black and blue moved in front of Naruto and grabbed Sasuke's hand. Haku's face was one of pure determination. "Do not harm Naruto." Her voice was as icy as her bloodline.

Sasuke was stunned. More so because he hadn't even seen her move and her grip was intense. What had Naruto done to inspire such loyalty from the once hostile Haku. It was interesting to more than just the Uchiha.

Gaara had watched the scene with mild interest. Haku had defended Naruto like his sand protected him from danger. It was novel sensation that Gaara felt in his stomach. He felt a pang of jealousy that Naruto could inspire another to take damage in his place.

Was this what Shukaku was referring to? Was this the true path to power that Naruto could take them to? The boy was certainly strong enough to, considering the display of skill and power he had used on the Hyuuga. Maybe the pale Shinobi wasn't that bad.

"Waiting on Namikaze Mino." Genma called out again drawing everyone's attention. Hinata had already moved down to the Arena floor so it was a bit shocking that Mino wasn't down there. Naruto looked around but could see no sign of the red haired boy anywhere.

* * *

Minato was in a panic. He was dashing around the Exam Arena with a feverish haste. His son was missing and couldn't be found anywhere. He would have had the Anbu go looking for him but they were spread thin with the defense of the village.

Plus he was the fastest Shinobi in the village regardless. He didn't want to use his signature jutsu to find Mino because he didn't want to cause mass panic in the stands. But things were getting tense and time was running out.

He had no choice. He concentrated his chakra and flashed to Genma. He whispered something in his ear before flashing away. He flashed through a few places in the Arena before he found his son, laying in the hallway.

He instantly picked his son up and the two of them went to go and get him healed up.

* * *

"Due to circumstances the Namikaze and Hyuuga fight will be postponed till the end of the first round." Genma then turned toward Hinata with a small, apathetic smile.

"Sorry about that. You'll have to return to the stands." Hinata blushed and nodded. The situation was embarrassing as it was and now this? Plus what could have happened to Mino that they had to delay their fight.

Not that she wasn't grateful. The longer the wait the better she felt about fighting her one time crush. She turned on a heel and walked back in to the stairwell. She walked up the steeps timidly and kept her head down the whole time.

Maybe he didn't think she was enough of a challenge to be fought. Maybe he hadn't even trained to fight her because she wasn't that strong. It was all rather deflating to her ego that she had worked so hard to build up.

* * *

"Next Fight then, Uchiha Sasuke and Sabaku Gaara to the Arena please."

The Kazekage of Suna straightened his back at the mention of Gaara and the Uchiha. In truth the Kazekage had died on the way here. This current Kazekage was actually Orochimaru in disguise. He was merely playing the role for the moment.

Hence why he actually showed any kind of interest in Gaara when the name came up. In truth he only cared about when Naruto or Sasuke had been mentioned. Obvious reasons aside, he merely wanted to see a good fight while he could.

And he was actually surprised by his son. He hadn't expected Anko to take him on and give him the contract. Anko really hadn't seemed like the type to take on apprentices. Unless she was forced in to the matter.

Which would make sense. Chances are that the village was rattled by the anger the seal had brought out in Naruto. They would most likely try to keep the seal's influence from spreading and try to give him something to satisfy him. Most likely to keep him in the village longer.

Hence how Anko got roped in to training him. And judging by how well he fought the boy had a true talent for the style. Of course he had expected that of his son. No child of his was going to be any thing less than a genius.

Though he was certain one thing was lacking. And that was to summon the boss Manda and receive his mark of power. Manda would bestow this mark to those that gave him the proper sacrifice of thirteen souls of some worth. Only then could he summon the other large snakes that legends were based off of.

"Ah a much waited for fight." The Sandaime spoke up. Orochimaru turned to him with an impassive look. His former Sensei must be losing his edge in his older age. Not that Orochimaru was a slouch in stealth but to not notice anything odd was new.

He had to reign in his emotions of anger towards him. It would do no good for Orochimaru to lose control now. He would his revenge soon enough and how glorious it would be. To see the look on Sensei's face when he was betrayed and killed at last.

"I suppose so. I have no doubt your Uchiha is good but my son has never been hurt and I doubt he will be hurt now." Hiruzen watched as the Kazekage's eyes lit up at the mention of Sasuke. Truly the man was mystery but even for him this was scary.

"He was trained by Kakashi, Minato's former Pupil. Surely he must have a trick up his sleeve to win this bout." Orochimaru's eyes narrowed harshly at the Arena. Kakashi was no push over now and may even be able to put up a fight against him.

Sadly he highly doubted that fact. Even if Sasuke was able to advance quickly there is no way that he would have grown strong enough to win. He might land a few blows here and there but victory? That was far out of his reach at the moment. Even if he used the curse seal.

That sand was just too much of a defense to get through. It rose whenever it was needed and didn't leave until Gaara was safe from harm. Plus it could be turned in to a weapon for offensive destruction in the next moment. A truly deadly mix to be sure.

"I have no doubt."

"Begin!"

* * *

Sasuke charged forward with a cool focus to his movements. He moved with a valiant speed that some took many years to obtain. He sped along and moved directly at the Ichibi container. Gaara made no effort to move in the slightest.

Why would he need to? He had never been harmed before so he greatly doubted that some Uchiha could do such a thing now. Of course he recognized that the lad was fast and could maneuver quickly but that was a simple thing.

What he hadn't been expecting is for the Uchiha to suddenly vanish and reappear to his side, delivering a harsh right cross to his face. Gaara was sent sailing and landed rather softly on his sand. As he stood up a small chunk of his face fell off.

Sasuke was mildly surprised. He hadn't expected a type of Sand Armor to be above his skin. But to be fair it was an ingenious invention and use of the sand. This allowed Gaara to counter any moved without lifting a finger. A well suited back up.

"You are interesting Uchiha but you are not the one I am interested in." Gaara said without emotion to his voice. Sasuke frowned deeply and growled lowly. He had landed a hit on the invulnerable Gaara and yet the kid didn't even see him as a threat.

"Then who are you after?" Sasuke asked curiously. If he was going to be over looked then he wanted to know who was holding Gaara's attention so well. The Suna child uncrossed his arms and pointed up towards the stands.

"Naruto. Now begone." He said as he swiped his hand sideways at the Uchiha. A blast of sand came rushing out and towards Sasuke. The boy, in rage of being looked over for Naruto once more, had activated his Sharingan. He hopped back in defense.

"**Katon: Housenka no Jutsu**!" He jumped in the air and fired down several smaller balls of fire at Gaara stationary form. The sand rose up from the ground to defend its master. Much to Sasuke's ire all his balls were blocked with no effort from Gaara.

"This tirade is pointless Uchiha. You are not entertaining in the least and are beginning to wear on my nerves." Sasuke knew now that Ninjutsu was out of the question unless he was going to use _that_ jutsu. But he needed to wear him down more first.

Sasuke vanished in a blur of speed again and battered Gaara with a few punches before a roundhouse kick sent the Suna Shinobi spiraling through the air again. He landed with a sick thud even though he was on the sand.

Gaara was lifted to his feet again. This time a sneer had settled on to his face. The Uchiha was slowly becoming a rather large pain in his ass. One that didn't need to be there at all. It was time to end the fight before it got any more out of hand.

Gaara lifted both hands as a torrent of sand exploded from the ground. The two tendrils flew towards Sasuke with unbridled speed. It was everything Sasuke could do to dodge the two sand missiles. He had to use his intense speed to merely dodge the sand.

Regardless Gaara kept the attack up and the sand rushing. One hand controlled one Sand tendril while the other controlled the other. He had to admit that the Uchiha was good and able to keep up to a degree. Eventually the one of the missiles had hit the Uchiha flush.

Sasuke rolled backwards and up the wall of the Arena. He couldn't rest for even a moment with the damn sand chasing him. That and he certainly wasn't going to let that sand wrap him up. And by the look on Gaara's face he that too.

Not that Sasuke could see that face anymore. Gaara had wrapped himself up in a large dome of sand. He noticed there was a small eye floating above the dome. He figured that Gaara was planning something big in that dome and he had to stop him.

There was only one thing he had in his stack of jutsu to use to break that dome. And he needed a great deal of speed to use it. Sadly, it was his only option at this point in time. He breathed slowly and relaxed his body. He performed a few hand seals and began building up chakra.

Gaara watched the Uchiha from inside of his shell. He watched carefully as the Uchiha dashed down the wall with his hand dragging lightning. Gaara guessed that the hand of lightning was meant for him. He needed time to call on Mother. The Uchiha would pay for his ignorance.

As Sasuke drew near Gaara activated his sphere's defense. Multiple spikes rose from the surface and launched Sasuke. The Uchiha bobbed and weaved out of the way thanks to his eyes. With one final push he shoved his hand in to the dome of sand.

A second later Sasuke felt something warm move on to his hand. He attempted to pull his arm out when something monstrously strong held it in. He was forced to use the **Chidori** lightning to pull his own hand out.

When he did however he saw something that shook his soul. When he pulled out his arm he noticed a dastardly yellow eye pierce his very soul. The eye seemed to radiate a power in which Sasuke would never be able to understand or attain.

The next moment a thunderous roar was heard all throughout the audience. Which by this time was actually asleep at the moment. A genjutsu had been cast on the entire Arena and only the rare amount of Shinobi had actually broken it.

Sand and Sound Shinobi flooded the stands in the next second.

* * *

"Orochimaru. It figures you would try something like this." The Yondaime spat with an angry growl. The man in front of him had caused him a terrible suffering and he was going to make the man pay.

"Now now Minato. Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. I only had a small hand in this. The late Kazekage had a much bigger hand in this then I." Orochimaru snickered at his Sensei's distraught face.

"So, he's dead then?" Sarutobi's voice of betrayal was reward enough for the twisted Shinobi. A twisted grin spread across his face.

"He did meet with quite the accident before arriving." Minato snarled at the Snake Sannin but even he had to be careful around him. Orochimaru was the kind of person who would destroy someone if they made a mistake fighting him. Especially if the person was Kage level.

"You truly are a monster aren't you?" Minato growled out. Orochimaru chuckled softly.

"Kukuku, no my dear Minato. That would be your son I believe. Being the precious Kyuubi container and all." That did it for him. Minato charged a **Rasengan** and attempted to plant it in Orochimaru's stomach. The slippery Sannin dashed backwards at the last moment.

"Temper temper Minato." Orochimaru couldn't help it. Minato was just far too much fun to toy with.

"Cut it out Orochimaru. We both know that its me you want to fight. Leave Minato out of this." The pale man frowned.

"No. He and I have a grudge to settle. And no one leaves unless I say so." Sarutobi frowned but he knew it was true. The purple walls around him were proof of that very fact. Plus he knew that Minato had his own score to settle.

"Orochimaru, surely you can't be foolish enough to believe that you can take on two Kage level Shinobi by yourself?" the Sandaime attempted to reason his pupil out of this horrid plan. Sadly, Orochimaru seemed to be pleased to hear this.

"I very well could and you know that but a good Shinobi covers every angle before a fight." He ran through a few hand seals and slammed his hands on the ground.

A moment later a single coffin rose out of the ground. It was rather simple in its design. It held no unique symbols other than a single number on the front. The number one was slapped on the front of the coffin.

The next second another coffin burst through the ground. This one was exactly the same in its size and its shape. The only difference here was the fact that it held the number two instead of a number one. Hiruzen knew what this was, having seen it once before.

"Orochimaru those can't be..."

"Oh but Sensei. They can!" He chuckled as the two boxes had their lids fall off. A person was in each of them. Both Minato and Sarutobi knew exactly who they were and who they were dealing with. Truly strong Shinobi.

The Shodai and Nidaime Hokage's were back.

Orochimaru had implanted the kunai with the seals before the match begun to render them speechless and ready to fight. "What's the matter? Too weak to fight your own battles?" Minato taunted. Orochimaru turned to him with a perverse grin.

"I have something special for you." His hands formed the ram seal. A moment later another coffin came rising up. This one was slapped with the number four written on it. When the lid fell, Minato dropped to his knees.

"No..." Orochimaru devilishly smiled.

"Oh yes. I had to use that mask of the Uzumaki's to free the soul but it was worth it." Minato felt like crying. His heart pounded away in his chest when the person inside the coffin opened their eyes.

"Minato? Is that you?" Minato did end up crying.

Minato and Kushina were brought face to face once more.

* * *

**AN: I'm sorry. I really didn't want to end the chapter here but I realized it was getting a pinch too long. I had no choice in the matter. But hey, builds interest for next chapter right? ****I'm sorry for those that wanted to see Hinata vs Mino. There were steps that needed to be taken. But don't worry. You'll see just how much the two have grown during the invasion.**

**Thank you for reading, please let me know what you thought, and I will see you all next chapter!**


	12. Chapter 12

**The Cycle of Pain**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**AN: See you at the bottom.**

* * *

Naruto couldn't believe his damned luck. If it could even be called that. Something about today had felt off to the pale shinobi. He had just never expected it to be this _bad_. He really needed to work on getting better karma.

Of course killing a mob of people hadn't done anything to clear it up. A swarm of Sand and Sound Shinobi had come bursting out of the shade. They attacked around the same time that the purple barrier thing had popped up in the Hokage's box.

As such Naruto was called upon to due open battle in the streets of Konoha. And fought he did, with every ounce of his strength. It was actually kind of fun to him. The rush of battle at reached his heart and made him feel so..._alive_.

"Please...spare me." Some pathetic sound ninja lay before him, soaked in his own blood. Naruto supposed he should feel bad for the man. He was only following orders after all. But he was an enemy. And as such he deserved no mercy.

"Sorry but you sided with the wrong team, worm." And with that Naruto let out a swam of snakes from his sleeve. The snakes crawled over the mans body before biting in to his neck. The poison from the snakes caused the man horrid pain before he died.

He was given no time to rest as three Sand Shinobi came off the rooftop and down towards him. He reacted in a flash and sent a few kunai and shuriken in to the body of one ninja. The husk of the man dropped harshly on the ground.

The other two didn't seem to care in the slightest as they charged Naruto. One of them attempted to engage in Taijutsu while the other shot a blast of air from his mouth. '_Idiots!'_ He spat with venom. Naruto grabbed the one in front of him and put him in the line of fire.

The bullet of air sent Naruto and the now dead Sand Shinobi in to a building located behind them. The comrade killing Sand member walked carefully over to the pile of rubble, his hands stuck in the seal to launch another bullet if needed. He never got the chance as a knife spilled his blood all over the floor.

Standing over his now dead body was Naruto. Cursed Seal marking decorated his pale skin with thick flame like markings. The Seal had sensed its masters panic and danger and had activated of its own accord. Of course the seal was much stronger now that Orochimaru was near but Naruto didn't know that.

He looked around to see many other leaf Shinobi engaged in combat with other ninja. He sighed as he seal receded in to his skin again. He was about to leap away when Anko showed up. She had a stern look on her face. One that Naruto didn't see very often with her.

"Naruto, orders from the ANBU captain. Gaara and Mino and Sasuke were seen going through the forest. You are to head there and put Gaara down if you can. I suggest you hurry up. Gaara was already leaking his demon's chakra." Her voice was firm but Naruto could sense she was worried.

"Don't worry Anko-sensei. I'll come back." She looked like she might tear up for a moment before grinning like a fool.

"You better!" She hopped away to join the others before Naruto could retort. The pale Shinobi had no choice but to comply with her demands. Plus he was rather interested to see what this inner demon that Gaara was letting out. Call him crazy but he was curious to see such a power.

So with that in mind he took off in to the forest to begin looking for the signs of battle.

* * *

Hyuuga Hinata could not that this was actually happening. She had never expected for a war to literally come to her front door and knock. But it was her duty as a leaf Shinobi to stand against these monsters. To stand up and win for Konoha.

Kurenai had instructed the girl to make her way to the Academy. It was there that she carry out the order to escort the children there to a safe location. Hinata wasn't about to complain about that in any way. All this open fighting had made her stomach sick.

She had made it to the Academy with little interference. A few people had attacked her here and there but she had been able to give them the slip with relative ease. However, she would not be getting any rest any time soon.

Standing in front of the Academy was Umino Iruka and behind him were the kids of the Academy. The group ranged from very young to just a bit younger than herself. What scared her the most was the overwhelming number of people in front of the group.

Hinata swallowed hard when she felt her pulse speed up. The adrenaline of the situation was beginning to get to her. They needed her help and it was her job to help out. She poised her legs to leap off the building when she felt someone land next to her.

She whirled around to see Shino. The bug user nodded before turning back towards the group. Hinata looked at him, he seemed focused on the back half of the group planning to attack the Academy. She picked up on that and turned towards the front half. Together they launched in to battle.

Hinata effortlessly landed in front of Iruka. The teacher was too stunned to even speak to the shy girl who was now saving his life. Hinata allowed her Byakugan to activated as she danced in to combat. A dance of death to be sure.

The Hyuuga Heiress could see the blazing chakra networks of each Shinobi. More importantly, she could see the hearts of each person. And those little hearts was her targets when fighting such overwhelming odds.

Not that she intentionally wanted to do this but she had to. For the sake of Konoha she had. And fight she did. Hinata whirled around effortlessly in between the blows of her opponent, easily countering with fatal blows. The people dropped like small flies around her.

To Iruka it was quite the show to watch. His former, shy, and timid pupil danced with her enemies like it was child's play. He watched as she ever so slightly touched people's chests before bounding off to fight the next person. The person would clutch their chest just before falling over dead.

In Hinata's eyes it was much different. She could see the chakra from her fingers leap in to the heart of her enemy. She watched as the heart slowly shut down and stop beating, resulting in the death of an enemy Shinobi and a point for Konoha.

Once she was done with her dance of death she put her hands on her knees to breathe. The rush of the battle along with the physical exertion had wore her down quite a bit. She looked over just in time to see Shino drain the last bit of chakra from the enemy.

"Shino, Hinata that was amazing!" Iruka proclaimed loudly. Even some of the younger kids were nodding in agreement. It had been impressive that two Genin could come out of the blue and defeat everyone that came along.

Just then a faint whistling noise was heard. Hinata turned around to see a barrage of kunai and shuriken come sailing out of the trees. She put her left foot forwards and began spinning with speed and energy. Soon a very blue like ball of energy could seen emerging from Hinata.

The kunai were deflected harmlessly off the sphere of chakra. The girls stumbled a bit coming out of the technique. The **Kaiten** always made her a bit dizzy afterward. She received no time to rest for another ground of Shinobi landed.

"Iruka-sensei, please take the children and go. Hinata and I will cover you. Please go now." Shino said with strength to his voice. Iruka wanted to complain but he knew they were right. He had to get the kids to safety before anything else.

Hinata could feel her knees become weakened. She had expended a decent amount of energy against the people from before and it was wearing her down. She looked over to Shino, who simply nodded to her. He was right: They had a home to protect.

* * *

[**Forest of Konoha**]

Naruto pushed through each branch like it was his mission. Each time his foot landed on a limb he poured chakra in to that foot and launched off. The reason being is that he had a Demon to put down and nothing was going to stop him from doing so.

As he moved about the forest he heard the sounds of something popping. After a series of pops he would feel an intense amount of chakra being used and smoke would drift his way. He figured that this meant a jutsu was being used.

So he turned on a branch and took off in that direction. He rushed through the trees as the feeling of chakra and pressure became more heavy with each step. When Naruto got there he nearly turned right around and left the area.

Sasuke was laying slightly limp against a tree. The curse marks were spread all over his body in an attempt to make him stronger. The Uchiha must have pushed far too much chakra in to the seal because it looked like Sasuke was more or less paralyzed.

Kiba and Akamaru were strapped to a tree by a giant sand binding. The two beings trapped in the sand seemed to be rendered unconscious and immobile. Not only that but it appeared that the sand was slowly, but surely, squeezing the life out of the two.

Then his eyes found Mino. The poor boy seemed to be downright exhausted and battered. His clothes were torn in several places and he was bleeding from multiple cuts on his face and arms. What shocked Naruto the most was the amount of reddish chakra seeping from his body.

Then there was Gaara. Or rather, what he assumed to be Gaara. It was relatively hard to tell due to the sand like flesh that covered his body. Weird blue lines were places all along his body, along with a steady stream of saliva seeping from his mouth.

"You're very entertaining, Namikaze!" Gaara howled with animal like vocal cords. His voice sounded deep and throaty and very raspy. Naruto would have ran at the mere sound of his voice had he not fought with hos own father before.

Compared to Orochimaru, Gaara was a mere insect trying to be a monster. Something the Snake Sannin could crush if he wanted to. That sparked drive within Naruto. If his own father could beat a demon like this then so could he.

"Gaara calm down! Let Kiba and Akamaru go!" Mino demanded. The Namikaze's voice was also something with which he had never felt before. While not as violent sounding as Gaara's it still reeked of a power Naruto would never understand.

"Never! Not until you defeat me! Prove that your exsistence is better by your lush lifestyle! By your weak friends!" Mino frowned at the fellow container. It was true that he had a much better life than anyone else, being the Hokage child and all. This was the type of thing Gaara could not stand.

"Its because of my friends I'm stronger than you!" Gaara let out an amused laugh, roaring tauntingly in to the air.

"Prove it to me Namikaze! Fight with your full power!" Gaara spoke as his body began to spasm. Naruto watched in horror as Gaara began to grow to an unimaginable height. His violent screams became demonic laughter when he reached his full height.

The Ichibi no Tanuki had come to Konoha.

Mino looked up in utter shock and complete fear. This was the demon Gaara held? This supreme being of power and defense? And He had one of those very same things locked away inside himself? He knew he should stand strong but the very sight of Shukaku made him feel weak.

"Just like a Namikaze to be weak in sight of true power." Naruto taunted, his curse seal in full swing at this point. He knew he would need the power for what ever may come his way. Mino looked up in shock of what he had just said.

"How can you not be frightened of him?! He's a monster!" Naruto snapped his attention to the boy with malice in his eyes.

"He is not a monster. He is simply looking for a purpose in life. Much like I am." He whispered that last part but pushed his killing intent out of his body. Mino realized that maybe he had made a horrible mistake of judging Gaara.

"Well, we can't talk to him now. He's up there and we're down here yanno?" Naruto smirked. That's what _he _thought. But Naruto had another idea.

"Mino, how much chakra do you have left?" The red haired child closed his eyes and focused.

"Well...a lot more. Why?" Naruto couldn't help but to smiled.

"Focus your chakra in to me through the seal. We both need to do this to win." Mino looked confused by Naruto's words.

"Huh?"

"Damn it! Just focus your chakra on me!" Mino nodded and put his hands in to the ram seal. Soon a reddish blue chakra exploded from his skin and created a small bubble around him. He then place a hand on Naruto's seal and held it there.

Naruto felt the exploding pain of demonic chakra enter his system but he couldn't focus on that. He needed this chakra to save the village from such an oppressive beast. He went through his hand seals slowly, he could not mess this chance up.

"**Kuchiyose no Jutsu!**" He yelled victoriously. Mino's eyes widened when he heard the jutsu call out. He had practiced that jutsu with his father every now and then but he had never really got it down pat. It was roughly a 50/50 kind of thing for him.

Now where Mino had the chakra capacity but not the odds, Naruto had the control and the odds. What he lacked was the sheer amount of chakra. Luckily, that's where Mino came in. With him supplying the chakra and Naruto controlling it through the seal. It was beyond easy to get the amount needed.

The only problem is _which _summon to use. With snakes their were a few different types. There were entry level snakes, mostly small and very poisonous. Then there was the big snakes, generally a thicker and bigger than the entry level ones. Lastly were the boss snakes. The biggest and strongest of them all, also much more volatile.

He would need a boss level snake for Shukaku, nothing else would even want to tango with him. Only problem is that Manda was the only one that could do it that he knew of. But Manda required a sacrifice. Something that would greatly hinder him right now.

'_There must be other Boss snakes right? Surely Manda wasn't the only one._' He pushed the chakra and called out to a boss snake. Hopefully, one that would fight Shukaku. A massive plume of smoke exploded from his hand and the two shot up in to the sky, a surface below them moving.

When the smoke cleared Naruto nearly cheered for joy. He was currently standing atop the head of a massive sage green snake with the occasional black scale. The snake had one giant horn on its head, like how Manda has four horns on the side of his head. It practically reeked of poison from its mouth.

"**Who calls for my service?**" The voice was nothing like Manda's arrogant tone. This one was much more calm and collected but held a very ice tone. Naruto took in a deep breath before speaking.

"I did. My name is Naruto." The snakes green eyes moved up to look. Sure enough there was Naruto and Mino standing atop his head.

"**The new summoner if I am correct. My name is Saphin. Why have you called me?**" Saphin asked his new summoner. Naruto sighed and pointed ahead.

"I need your help to fight that." The sage green snake looked forward. Raging about what Shukaku, spitting balls of air randomly in laughter. The large snake tilted its head slightly causing Naruto and Mino to nearly fall off its head.

"**Normally I would eat you for such arrogance. I make it a point to describe my conditions for summoning me. I only ask that you only summon me for great challenges and battles. This will count as one and as such I will help.**" Naruto smirked at that. He could appreciate the Snake's mentality. He fought for the thrill of the fight and honor.

"Woah cool! Gamabunta tried to kill me when I first summoned him." Mino smiled and rubbed the back of his head. He was glad Saphin didn't try to kill him when it was summoned. The snake bent in to a striking position.

"**Hang on.**" Saphin launched in to a full on dash against the Tanuki. Shukaku turned towards the massive spike in chakra with a full blown smile.

"**AHA! A challenge! This is interesting Namikaze!**" The Gaara version of Shukaku rang out. His massive form looked exactly like the Ichibi. The only difference was that Gaara lacked supreme control, being unused to the form, and the pure power of Shukaku.

"He didn't summon Saphin! I did!" Naruto hollered at Gaara. The Ichibi sucked in a huge breath before firing a large ball of air at him. Saphin easily slithered out of the way, a dangerous glow to his eyes.

"**Naruto? You summoned this? Truly you are a worthy challenge!"** Naruto knew he shouldn't be happy or proud of that. But something about something so powerful compliment him made him feel stronger and proud of himself.

"**You have more than the boy to worry about!**" Saphin said as he darted forward. Gaara lifted up his massive Ichibi arm and brought in down swiftly. The sage green snake launched forward with velocity and precision, slicing the sand arm with its horn as it passed.

When they whirled around Naruto audibly groaned. The slice in the arm of sand completely healed itself and looked no worse for the wear. This was going to be a long fight if they couldn't slow or stop that healing.

Saphin knew that the sand would heal the wound. The Ichibi and the other Tailed Beasts were well known among the summons for their strength. But they also studied their weaknesses. Shukaku just so happened to be weak against water and...acid spit.

The snake threw its head back and then forward, spitting the green acid all over the Ichibi. Saphin knew that if Shukaku were to take over and fully wake up, it would spell doom for them. Strong as he was he stood no chance against the Ichibi at full strength.

Gaara howled out in pain. The acid was literally burning away his skin. Even if he was in the Ichibi form, he could not tolerate pain of this level considering he had never felt it before. It was then that Gaara felt fear in his heart.

Without even realizing it, Shukaku had taken over.

Saphin noticed a massive spike in chakra coming from the Ichibi. Chances were that it had take over its host temporarily. Naruto seemed to pick on it to because he felt his whole spine light up with nerves. They had to end this now.

Another blob of acid flew through the air. Sadly, Shukaku bent forward and dodged it without much effort. With the Ichibi in control of his own body his movements became much more fluid and limber. Things would get much harder now.

"**I'm free! Ha! Take that flesh sacks! Shukaku is back!**" This voice was completely wild and rambunctious. It almost sounded like the beast was having fun and wasn't entirely evil. Of course dodging the bullet of air from that very same beast changes things.

The large snake hissed in annoyance. It had to end right this moment and only one move he had could pull that off. Acid spray could harm or stun the beast but not severely harm it. It was risky and could cause more harm then good but it was his only option.

Naruto looked down and noticed that Saphin was beginning to glow green. Like a vibrant and shimmering green. Even more so was that fact that a light green smoke was drifting off of his body. It smelled horrible and rather deadly.

Without warning Saphin lurched forward and, to Naruto's and Mino's surprise, slammed his head in to the stomach of Shukaku. Instantly the acid seeping out of Saphin burrowed through the stomach. Shukaku screamed out in pain at the feeling.

The Ichibi attempted to grab the large snake but had his hands melted off. Saphin slithered up his back and around his neck. He began to squeeze the neck for all it was worth. Had to stop those deadly air bullets some how right?

"**Naruto! Hit the kid in the head to end this!**" Saphin called out though strained breath. Naruto looked down to see Gaara sleeping atop Shukaku's head. He had to wake him up if this battle was to end? So be it.

Naruto jumped off the top of his summon, Mino closely behind. Naruto realized that with the thrashing of Shukaku would make hitting Gaara that mush harder. He knew that his jump was steadily falling behind and wouldn't be able to make the jump.

He landed briefly on something orange and red. He looked down to see a copy of Mino grinning up at him like a fool. Naruto gave him a brief thumbs up before pushing off the stomach of the kid. The extra push was just what he needed to make a bee line for Gaara.

A sand wall attempted to rise up to defend its host but the acid spraying every where demanded attention. It made it very easy for Naruto and Mino to thrash Gaara in the head with thunderous punches.

Gaara awoke with terror in his eyes before a plume of smoke erupted again.

* * *

When the smoke cleared Naruto opened his eyes. They had landed on the forest ground and rather harshly. It took Naruto a moment to gather his bearings but he was able to get up. He looked towards Gaara and realized he was shaking in a cold sweat.

He looked over and noticed that Mino was knocked, his body lay unmoving. Naruto walked over to check the pulse of the Namikaze. At least he was still very much alive and well. Now time to deal with Gaara.

He strode over to him, kunai in hand, prepared to plunge it in to his chest. Gaara's eyes darted towards Naruto in pure shock and fear. No one had ever beaten Shukaku like that except for his father. But a mere Genin pulled it off. And now he was going to finish the job.

"Stay back!" Gaara cried out. Naruto's smirk only grew wider at hearing that. The boy now held a fear for him.

"Now do you understand true power? It doesn't _all _come from fear. It comes from having people to use when you need them. It comes from having tools. Only then can you ever hope to kill the strongest people in this world. Only then can you truly prove your exsistence." Gaara's eyes widened in shock.

"How...did you prove your exsistence?" He asked. He tried to stop his body from shaking but he just couldn't. Fear had seeped in to his soul. Not to mention the purple chakra that now surrounded Naruto, making him look like some ominous demon Gaara had never seen.

"I used to feel the same way you did. Angry, hateful, and destructive. I still feel that way most of the time. I couldn't help but to feel that Konoha never deserved my attention and focus. So I sent out to prove them wrong. To prove my exsistence. And I did so by using others and only relying on myself and those that were strong." Naruto couldn't really hear what he was saying. With the influence of the Curse Seal active he was far more aggressive than normal.

"Relying on those that are strong?" Gaara asked in confusion. Wasn't he the strongest? No one had ever defeated Naruto so why would he rely on others?

"Yes, you can't expect to win every fight if you don't have strong people with you. Discard the weak and accept the strong. Only then can you bring about an untold level of destruction and pain. Thus proving our exsistence ten times over!" Naruto proclaimed proudly. The influence of the seal had full corrupted his body and using his mind to twist Gaara in to believing in him.

"I...see. To prove my exsistence I must rely on the strong and myself. People like you." Naruto gave him a victorious smirk and nodded.

"Exactly, people like me."

Gaara stood up and dusted himself off. He had a lot to think about and this was a major part of that. "Thank you Naruto. I will return to Suna. I have much to think about now." Naruto nodded and moved out of his way.

"Just remember my words." He said as the curse seal went back in to his skin. Gaara nodded and began to dash through the forest back to Suna.

Naruto turned to pick up a still dazed Mino. He slung him on to his back before heading towards the village. However, when he got there he wished he had died instead.

* * *

[**Hokage's ****B****ox**]

"Wow Minato, you sure have kept up on your training." Kushina said with a smile. Her tan, paper like skin cracking slightly. Minato dodged yet another flurry of sword attacks. Orochimaru had purposely left her in the outfit she died in. All for Minato.

"Gotta stay in top shape for the village heh." Minato sheepishly spoke. The truth was that seeing Kushina again, even in her current state, made him very emotional. Not to mention the fact that he didn't want to harm her in any way.

Sadly, Kushina did not feel the same way. She was being forced to attack him with everything she had. She was a beautiful Kenjutsu user with wonderful chakra chains that could be used at will to bind and kill. Not to mention the raw physical strength she held.

"I know Minato. While I am sorta kinda alive can you tell me about little Mino?" She asked while aiming to remove his head from his shoulders. Luckily Minato ducked and manged to trip her up in the process.

"Well, he is a lot like you. He's fiery and woah!" He flashed away from a chain that threatened to rip in to his chest.

"Sorry!" Kushina yelled from over the distance. Minato gave her a thumbs up after dodging another one.

"Its okay! Mino would be proud to know his mother was awesome!" Kushina dashed forward to close the distance between the two of them. She launched a series of strikes and sword dances. Minato, having trained with Kushina before, knew all of her tricks ahead of time and could easily counter and block them.

"Even in death you are still the only man who can defeat me." She spoke with a hint of pride. "Have you been training little Mino?" Minato smiled when the two locked kunai against sword.

"Yup, he even has the Toad contract from Jiraiya and I." Kushina frowned.

"Is he a pervert?" Minato blushed and shook his head furiously.

"No! He is a good kid. All of the villagers even see him as a hero." Minato spoke warmly. Kushina felt beyond relieved that her son was being taken care of so well.

"That's good. I was scared the people would hate him." Behind her a deep chuckle rang out. Minato and Kushina whirled to see Orochimaru emerge from the ground with a smile.

"No, the villagers hate something else. Or rather _someone _else." Kushina raised a brow. Minato would allow someone to be unjustly treated?

"What is he talking about Minato?" The Yondaime frowned heavily and glared at Orochimaru when it was brought up. Kushina felt Minato's killer intent rise through the roof.

"Nothing." He lied. If Kushina knew the truth behind what was really happening. Then there is no telling what could happen.

"Are you sure Minato? I'm sure my little Naruto would be delighted to hear that." His voice was full of mocking sarcasm. Kushina seemed rather confused. Did Orochimaru have a son? Was that what this was about.

"Who is Naruto?" Kushina demanded furiously. She hated being left out of the loop.

"Naruto, the precious boy, is my son and subject of scorn in this village. No thanks to your precious Husband." Kushina turned to her Husband with a questioning glare. Minato looked in to her eyes and folded under the pressure of her gaze.

"I did like you said. I made his life hell." Minato admitted. Kushina took a step back from him.

"I meant go after Orochimaru not his son! Has this 'Naruto' done anything wrong?" Orochimaru chuckled heavily.

"Not that I know of. He has been a good, respectful little Ninja. Right Minato?" Minato dashed forward to attack Orochimaru but Kushina intervened at the last moment. Minato cursed under his breath that she was till stuck under his control.

"Minato, how could you! You promised me you would never hate someone for something they didn't deserve! Naruto has done nothing but be faithful to you and you treat him so poorly. Why?" She asked. Hurt and pain filled her being.

"He just reminded me so much of how Orochimaru took your life. I couldn't help it and he was the closest thing to the man himself." Minato admitted and felt very ashamed of his actions. He didn't regret them in the least but he felt like a kid with his hand in the cookie jar without permission.

"Do you hate the Kyuubi?" She asked out of the blue. Minato blinked and took a step back.

"I don't like it for what it has done to you and Mino." He answered truthfully. Kushina's face darkened at his words.

"Then you must hate Mino. He isn't the Kyuubi but he is the closest thing right? Just like Naruto is the closest to Orochimaru." Minato felt like crying. He knew what she said was true. He always knew he had been treating Naruto wrong but the hate inside him refused to die.

Now that he was faced with his wife who suffered similar scorn in her life he couldn't help but to feel that he was deeply wrong. Regret and sorrow began to fill his being up as his will to fight began to fade away.

Orochimaru watched the scene with glee and joy. This was going far better than even he could have ever expected it to go. He merely expected Kushina to be angry and to throw Minato off balance. But she was taking it to him with ease.

Imagine his surprise when he noticed the red cloak beginning to surround Kushina. Her killing intent nearly tripled in regards to her normal one. Orochimaru might have been afraid of losing control had Kushina tried to attack him. Luckily she was doing this of her own free will.

When she attacked Orochimaru knew Minato would have his hands full with dealing with her merely to survive. So he turned his attention to the other fight. The battle if the Hokage raged strongly. Much to his surprise, Hiruzen was mostly able to keep up with the other two. Granted they weren't at full strength but still.

"**Shiki Fujin**!"

Now Orochimaru wasn't the type of person to really feel fear towards anyone or anything living or dead. He is a Legendary Sannin and generally a very scary person. He had unlocked the secrets of ever lasting life and knew loads of jutsu.

The only thing he did fear was the Death God himself. The only being that could effortlessly end his life for good. Hearing the jutsu of the Death God being called out shook Orochimaru to his core. He never expected Sensei to use that jutsu.

"Behind you!" He heard Hiruzen's voice ring out from behind. At that moment he felt a cold presence enter his body. It felt as though an arm had reached in to his body and grabbed a piece of him. Something that made him feel dead as it moved out of his body.

He turned his head to the side to see his former Sensei pulling out his very soul. Connected between them was the arm of the Death God. He helplessly watched as his soul was pulled out of his body from the arms.

But he couldn't die here. Not when he had figured out how to live forever. How to cheat death and fate itself. He wouldn't allow himself to fall to the wayside. He was Orochimaru! And he never let people get the better of him.

So with a strained body, he fought back. Slowly but surely his soul began returning to his body. He could feel his strength beginning to return to his body with every passing second that went by. His eyes drifted towards the other people he had summoned.

All of them were currently tied up in their own little battle against death. However, since Orochimaru was distracted his control on the bodies slipped. They people allowed death to claim them without too much of a fight. Something Orochimaru hated.

* * *

[**With Minato**]

He couldn't believe his eyes. He had just spent nearly two hours fighting his own wife brought back from the dead before this moment. During this moment Kushina allowed her soul to be pulled from the body and allowed to die.

What she didn't allow was tears or sadness on her part. She could not believe that Minato would be so callous to a child, no matter the father. That's why she had called upon the rage of the Kyuubi. To show him how ugly people became when they were angry.

"I'm sorry." Was all Minato could choke out. The look on his wife's face spoke of the hate and loathing she held for him. She still loved him but his actions could not go unpunished like that. He needed to know that she was mad.

"I know you are my love." She really couldn't stay mad at him. This was the father of her child after all and he had treated Mino right. It was just poor Naruto that got the rage of the Yondaime and the village in one swift motion.

"Just please fix things with that boy. And kick Snake geezers ass for me twice." She smiled as the rest of her soul was pulled out of her body. Minato dropped to his knees and began to tear up.

* * *

"If I was younger I could kill you right here and now. But it looks like I will just have to take away your dreams!" Sandaime yelled through pained breaths. Without another moments waste the sword came down and cleaved through Orochimaru's soul, right where his hands were.

The Snake Sannin hollered out in pain as he hands went limp. He could still move his arms but his hands merely flopped around uselessly. He lifted his arms up to his face. Much to his dismay he could not even move them.

In the next moment he was blinded by a crippling pain from his hands. The soul for his hands were gone and as such he felt nothing but pain from that area. In fact it caused him pain to even think about the limb in question.

"Curse you old monkey!" Orochimaru while Hiruzen smiled. He was tired and fading fast but victory was his. His student would no longer be able to attain his dream. His ambitions were stomped out on a marvelous fashion.

"I...did it." His knees began to weaken and his body was giving out on him. Orochimaru gave the sign for the barrier to drop when he dashed forward. He flew past Hiruzen and off the building. Minato couldn't stop the jutsu or himself in time and plowed the Rasengan in to Hiruzen.

The Sandaime flew off the building and sailed down in to the streets below. A group of Shinobi came over and surrounded the old man and the seal burnt in to his stomach. Truly none of them had ever expected this to happen to him. He was supposed to die of old age.

* * *

Naruto watched from below as Orochimaru jumped from the building followed by four others. He then watched a blue ball carry Sarutobi off the building and down in to the streets below. The old man never even tried to move, signaling that he was dead. He set Mino down and knelt on the rooftop.

Naruto looked to the sky and for the first time ever, screamed out in pain and tears. His beloved Old Man had died.

* * *

**AN: And another one done for your viewing pleasure. As normal thank you all for the reviews. Makes me one happy writer. And as normal please let me know what you think of this chapter.**

**Little bit of self promotion here. If you like my story here I have started a second story called "Came from Darkness, Redeemed In Light". I would greatly appreciate it if ya'll could go check it out. Thank you in advance.**

**Peace!**


	13. Chapter 13

**The Cycle of Pain**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**AN: See you all at the bottom.**

* * *

Pain. That was all Naruto felt at this moment. Pure and utter pain. Unfiltered and simple pain. The one person who mattered to him. The only person he could say that he loved and would die for at any moment. Hiruzen was dead and gone.

The Sandaime had died a little over a day ago and Naruto had been in shock the entire time. He stayed in his apartment, locked the door, and sobbed all through the night. This was the first time he had ever dealt with the death of a loved one.

He cried his eyes and heart out while he sat in the corner of his apartment. He hadn't bothered to shut the blinds on the windows or even lay in the bed. Nothing felt right to him or felt even bright. He felt rather dead inside.

Imagine his pain. He only had one person in his entire life growing up. One person to shield him from the harmful scorn of the village. To help raise him right and keep him well supplied with money and food. The only pillar of support in his life.

A pillar that came crashing down. That only made Naruto shiver. He had replayed the scene of Hiruzen's death in his head over and over again. The smoke, blue ball of chakra, the fall, Orochimaru. He remembered everything about that moment.

His mind cycled through everything that showed up. He imagined that the smoke must have been from the dispelling of something. Maybe a clone or two that blew up. The blue ball of chakra had to be the **Rasengan** that the Namikaze clan used.

But why was it being used now? With Orochimaru fleeing the scene Minato had no reason to use such a move. Unless he was trying to catch his Father off guard but the odds of that were slim. Orochimaru didn't seem like the person to ever let his guard down.

Either way Hiruzen had been hit with the attack and flew off the building. Watching the old man fall to his death had easily been the most painful thing he had ever witnessed. He couldn't tell if he was dead before he was hit and fell or if he died on impact but it was hard to watch for him.

The only thing he wanted right now was to be alone and to be left alone. Fate had other plans for the boy in suffering. Many angry people came to throw things and shout at the child. They seemed to blame him for the death of the Sandaime, even though Naruto was no where near the area.

He could only assume that they were launching what blind rage they had against Orochimaru's son, again. He decided not to taunt them back for it would cause nothing but a mess and put him in trouble with the Yondaime Hokage.

That brought a curious thought in to his head. With the Sandaime gone who would stand up for him now? Who would shield him from the wrath that is the Yondaime? Naruto thought about leaving the village to avoid the scorn but he knew that Sarutobi would be disappointed in him if he did. So he would just grin and bear the pain for now.

"Hey kid." A very familiar, and welcomed voice, came out from the shadowy corner of his apartment. Anko stepped out with a blank face on her usually happy features. She knew that this was no time to be fooling around and Naruto was in a deadly state of mind.

Naruto looked up with tears pouring out of his face still. The pain just wouldn't stop and no one was letting him move on with it. Anko knew the pain he was feeling all too well. She knew what it was like to feel such hate bearing down on you for no reason.

He tried to say something but his throat was too dry to do anything like that. Instead he just gave her a small wave of the hand with a defeated look on his face. Her own mood soured even further after that. He couldn't even muster the will to speak anymore, let alone be happy.

"Come on Naruto. Let's go get something to eat. I'll pay." Naruto looked up at her like she was asking him to forget about the Old Man. He sprung to his feet and pointed a finger at her.

"No! I can't! Not with the Old Man dead. I refuse to forget about him!" He declared proudly with tears running down his cheeks. Anko sighed to herself. She knew exactly how he was feeling right now and couldn't blame him for feeling that way.

"No one is saying you have to forget about him Naruto. Be honest with yourself for a moment. Would he want you to be seen like this? Crying and not living the life he gave you by defending the village?" Naruto hadn't quite thought about that yet.

How would Hiruzen respond to seeing Naruto this way? Would he be happy that he was mourning him or would he be upset that he wasn't living his life like he wanted him to? He would be happy for him right? He would still be proud of him.

"He...would be happy that I was mourning for him. That he meant so much to me." His voice was weakened greatly by his crying and lack of sleep. Anko walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder and smiled down at him.

"He would but he would also want you to use the life you have and make the most of it. To be free and have fun like kids your age should." Naruto looked up to her with weak eyes. "I know it hurts but he loved you and would want you to be happy to." She spoke uncharacteristicly soft towards Naruto.

And that was all it took for the child. He hugged Anko around the waist and began sobbing against her fishnet clad stomach. She almost couldn't react for she was stunned by this. She wasn't normally one to be soft but just this once she would let him cry out all of his tears. She held him tightly as he cried for the old man one last time.

* * *

[**Council Chambers**]

"It is a miracle that we survived." Danzo admitted. He was there with Minato and Jiraiya, who had just arrived. They wanted to keep the meeting small so as to keep the information from spreading.

"It is. If it wasn't for Orochimaru's cockiness I don't think I would have survived." Minato admitted with a frown. A true warrior always knew when a battle was lost.

"What about Orochimaru's kid? Didn't he and your boy stop the Ichibi?" Jiraiya asked, causing Minato's face to go sour with regret. He wanted to try and make it up with Naruto but he just hadn't found the time to do so yet.

"Yeah he summoned the snake that fought the Ichibi. Though I don't really know what happened." Danzo cut in with his report. "That kid is one damn fine Shinobi, despite his hindrance." He glared at Minato, which didn't go unnoticed by anyone.

"What do you mean?" Jiraiya inquired. He had been in and out of the village a lot in the past few years and really hadn't kept tabs on any rumors that weren't dangerous. The white haired man turned to Minato with a questioning look.

"Nothing." Minato ground out and, for once, Jiraiya was in shock. He had never felt any kind of anger or rage from Minato ever in his life. And yet here he was, blasting killer intent at the very mention of his flaws.

"It isn't just nothing. Minato has held back a wonderful Shinobi because of his own personal grudge against Orochimaru. Naruto fought on par with the Ichibi as a Genin. That more than warrants a promotion to Chunin I believe." Danzo finished with a nod.

Jiraiya thought about that for a moment. In his mind he was comparing Naruto to Orochimaru at that age. And the results weren't pretty at all. Naruto would easily end up surpassing his father with the proper training and motivation.

Which promoting him to Chunin may just be the answer. It would give Naruto faith in his village and would pave the way for trusting the village. Of course, he could take it the other way and simply see it as a way of sucking up to him after all this time. It was a gamble but could they afford another Orochimaru?

"I think that is a fine idea. Naruto seems to be a good Shinobi and a skillful one. I say we promote him." Minato mentally groaned at his Sensei's words. Promotions made by the Hokage were a personal ceremony and award display. Only a few people would be there but Naruto would be a Chunin either way.

"I...agree. Its time the boy got something from us." The Yondaime added in, though the sourness in his voice was hard to miss. Regardless, Jiraiya gave him a pat on the back and a smile. Proud to be his teacher once again.

"Atta boy! So when and who should tell him?" This was a very delicate process for Naruto.

If Minato were to go and tell him there is a chance Naruto would deny it. He might even accuse Minato of merely trying to suck up to him or trick him in to being thrown in to jail. Of course he might accept it and they could begin their friendship on better paths.

If Jiraiya did it then Naruto would simply be confused and mistrusting of him. Not to mention that he would ask who Jiraiya was and he would have to tell him to gain his trust. Once Naruto heard that he was a Sannin he would almost instantly be upset. Seeing as how they were teammates in the past. He would probably think Jiraiya was there to take out his grudge on his son.

If Danzo did it there was a higher chance of success. The old war hawk seemed to take an interest in Naruto and the boy seemed to appreciate that fact. Not to mention that Danzo was pretty much on a clean slate with Naruto so he would trust him more.

Maybe they could get Anko to do it? She had mended the bond that was broken with Naruto. Plus she was arguably the closest person to Naruto at the moment. The boy probably trusted her more than he would ever trust anyone ever again. She trained him truly and never tricked him with false teachings.

"Mitarashi Anko is the best choice. Naruto trusts her and will follow her." Danzo pointed out with a small smirk. Anko was someone who he could get along with. Her no nonsense attitude is perfectly acceptable with him.

"I agree. She trained him for the Exams. Its only right that she be the one to promote him." Jiraiya said with a smile. Minato nodded and sent a messenger out to go and find Anko to let her know what was going on.

"Go find Mitarashi Anko for us please." The ANBU smirked underneath his mask. He knew that woman rather well. She was very much like the village bicycle. Everyone who wanted a ride got one. Hell even this ANBU had gotten a few rounds in on her before.

"Of course Lord Hokage." He vanished in a swirl of leaves.

* * *

Naruto had stopped crying a few minutes ago. Anko had demanded that he go shower and get dressed in some fresh clothes. She told him it would make him feel better. Truth be told, it did. He felt a million times better than before his shower.

He came out to the living room to find his trench coat wearing Sensei talking to some ANBU guy. She seemed to be upset about something he said. He listened in closely using his training and heard the words 'Snake Whore' being used against her.

Naruto gripped his fists in anger. If there was one thing he hated it was when people harmed his very few precious people. He didn't really believe in that whole 'Protecting loved ones makes your stronger thing' himself. But he did want to protect them when he could.

"Something wrong Sensei?" Naruto asked with ice in his voice as he glared at the ANBU. The guys seemed to pick up on it and his mood soured as a result.

"Nothin' kid. Owl here was just about to leave." Anko glared at the 'Owl' ANBU. Owl could stand being glared at by Anko, he had done so before, it was Naruto that got to him. The power looked so much like his father that it was terrifying to be near him at time.

Without another word the Owl was gone and Anko seemed to relax and plopped down on the couch. Naruto walked over and sat down next to her. He wasn't the best with this kind of stuff but for Anko he would try to be.

"Something wrong Anko?" He asked, his voice filled with a genuine warmth he hadn't used since last talking with Sarutobi. No one could ever replace him but Anko could fill the void rather well and she seemed willing to do so.

"Nothin' you need to worry about kid." She gave him a fake smile. Naruto could tell right away that it was fake. After all, he had been faking his emotions for quite some time when he needed to. Like say, right in front of the Yondaime Hokage.

"Anko, I may look young but we both know I am not a kid." His voice was almost filled with hurt at her misunderstanding him. He wasn't a kid anymore. He had fought against a Tailed Beast. Kids don't do that on their own like he did.

"What are you talking about? Of course your still a kid." She smirked defiantly. She refused to give him any kind of ground or respect. He would have to earn it if that's what he wanted from her. Naruto frowned and narrowed his eyes at her.

"A kid doesn't go up against the Ichibi no Tanuki and live. A kid doesn't face the scorn of an entire village and live." Anko cursed under her breath. The kid was right. Most adults can't even do that without drastic measures like suicide or alcohol.

"Yeah well your still a virgin so you're still a kid." Naruto blinked. What the hell is a virgin and why is he one?

"What's a virgin?" He asked in earnest. Perhaps this was something that he should learn. Wouldn't want any potential information to slip away from him. What if this could save his life or something? Perhaps a special bloodline he has that he didn't know about?

"You mean you were never given 'the talk'?" Anko blinked in confusion from her side of the couch. To her surprise, Naruto shook his head from side to side.

"What talk?" Anko's face lit up with joy.

"Wonderful! Well you see..." What followed next was the most in depth, most descriptive talk Naruto had ever received. He had no idea that such joy and wonder could come from such...personal activities with other peoples personal areas. By the end of it Naruto had a perfect understand of everything sex related and how to properly conduct the act.

"That was...interesting to say the least." Anko gave him a smug grin in reply. Now came the part where the little child ran for the hills screaming in terror and lost innocence.

"Well now ya know!" Naruto nodded stiffly before turning to his teacher.

"Anko-sensei, is that why people call you 'Snake whore'? For doing something you enjoy?" Anko went dead silent and blank at that. She had been really hoping that Naruto had not heard that from the previous conversation. To her surprise Naruto put his pale hand over hers that was currently resting on her thigh.

"Even if it is I don't care. To me you are precious and I won't judge you for that. I don't necessary like it after what I had just learned but it is your life, not mine." He voice was full of conviction and pride. Almost like he was proud to have her as a friend when many of them weren't so proud to even know her.

It shocked her to her core that someone like Naruto, who was attacked almost all of his life, could be capable of such compassion about something. Especially when that something was her. They had both suffered for what Orochimaru had done to them. She smiled back at him.

"Thank you Naruto." Before he could react she leaned over and gave him a kiss on his lips. She pulled back and away before Naruto could truly come to enjoy. A blush dashed on to his face and his mind went blank. For that brief second he had been in pure bliss.

"Now for the real reason why that Owl guys showed up. I have a surprise for you." She declared proudly. And she had every right to be proud of herself and her student. Its not every time a student she had got promoted.

"Uhhh yeah, what?" He replied dumbly. His mind was still in a cloudy sensation and thus made it harder for him to think clearly. Anko chuckled at the frazzled kid. It was probably his first kiss he had ever gotten so it was expected of him to act like that.

"You're getting promoted to Chunin by the Yondaime himself!" Hold up. He was getting promoted to Chunin by the Yondaime Hokage? As in the person who had hated him for his entire life? And he wanted to promote him.

"How do I know this isn't a trick or some bribe?" Anko bopped him on the head angrily.

"The Hokage doesn't bribe people with promotions idiot!" Naruto rubbed his head softly.

"Sorry, I just don't trust him. He's always been brutal towards me. But if you say its true then I'll trust you." He looked away quickly, hiding the blush of embarrassment from her. He hated leaving himself open to weakness and, in his experience, trust was a weakness.

Anko grinned at him "He really isn't a bad guy. Just give him one more chance." Naruto grumbled under his breath but figured that it couldn't hurt to give him one tiny chance.

"Fine but don't expect me to be friendly back to him. I will never forget what he did to me." Anko chuckled at his defensiveness.

"I wouldn't expect that brat. Now let's go get Dango to celebrate. Your promotion isn't for a week or so with the rebuilding of the village."

* * *

And so the two left to go and celebrate the promotion. Naruto remained skeptical the entire time but eventually relax with Anko constantly telling him to stop being so gloomy. Not that she could blame him of course. Those two had a rough history together.

After Dango Anko insisted that they get more training in while they can before his was promoted to Chunin. Naruto couldn't help but to agree with her and eagerly accepted any training he could get from her. After all, she was very strong in her own right.

And that's what the two of them did for the next two weeks. Anko trained Naruto in the advanced stance of the Hebi or Snake style that they both used. She trained him further in chakra control by learning the water walking exercise and learning to fight on water.

Anko for her part was very impressed. Naruto was like a sponge when it came to information from her. His eyes would watch her every movement and his ears picked up her every words like each syllable would save his life in a fight. Which, in the ninja world, it very well could.

Over the course of the two weeks the two of them were often seen together. From training at the 'Forest of Death' to eating at a Dango stand. Several times Naruto and Anko were forced to leave because of others. Someone would insult Anko or Naruto and the other would fly off the handle and beat the person senseless. More often than not it was Naruto coming to his teacher's aid.

Not that he could help it. He didn't like when people harmed the ones he actually and truly cared about. It made him more anger than he cared to admit to anyone. However, that rule only applied to Shino, Anko, Hinata, and Haku. These were the only people he cared to trust and would defend them with his life.

* * *

Eventually the day came when Naruto had to attend his own Promotion hosted by the Yondaime. He and Anko were dressed in their usual outfits. Her in her trench coat, a mesh undershirt that went down to her mid thigh, and a brown miniskirt. While he was dressed in his black pants, black long sleeve shirt, and a sage green t-shirt over top of it.

When the two arrived Naruto noted that Shino and Hinata were there along with Kurenai. He smiled and waved at the two of them and gave Kurenai a brief nod. He also noted that Mino and Danzo were there along with some spiky haired guy. Even Haku had arrived to support him, earning a full smile from Naruto.

"There you are. Now we may begin." Danzo spoke with an odd smile to his face. He was glad Naruto was getting some of the praise he deserved. Minato listened to the old man's words and nodded.

"Yes, Naruto please step forward." Minato spoke, looking directly at Naruto. He could tell the boy was either nervous or just really didn't want to be in front of him. Not that Minato could blame him. He had a perfect reason for his trepidation.

Naruto swallowed the hard lump in his throat and gingerly stepped forward. He could see the perfect resemblance between Mino and his father. He wondered what Mino would look like if he had blonde hair instead of red.

The place itself wasn't all that special. Just the Hokage with a few Shinobi around as witnesses and a piece of paper in his left hand while the jacket was in his right. A rather small gathering on the roof of the Hokage's tower.

When Naruto reached the front of the Hokage he couldn't help but to feel defensive. Minato sucked in a breath and began. "This party was gathered to bare witness to the promotion of a Shinobi of the leaf. This Shinobi has proven courage in the face of certain demise and lived to tell the tale. He has shown the capacity to follow orders and perform the job no matter what. If anyone feels that he does not deserve this award please say so now."

Naruto had expected someone to come up and say something but to his surprise, no one said a thing. He opened his eyes and looked around to see everyone smiling up at him. He felt his heart swell with happiness at that, especially when he noted Anko smiling at him.

"Very well. As of now Naruto is a Chunin of Konohagakure no Sato." He handed him the green vest. "Wear it with pride. Also, while witnesses are present. I would like to humbly offer my apologies to you Naruto. I have not been fair to you when you have been nothing but a splendid ninja. I was blinded by a rage that was just removed from my eyes. I hope that you can forgive me." Minato bowed his head to him.

The boy was in pure shock at that. Was the Yondaime Hokage being nice and apologizing to him for something he did wrong? He literally felt his heart soar at finally being able to be accepted by the Shinobi community.

"I think that would be best Lord Hokage." Naruto said with a small smile. He had to play the part for the moment. He still didn't know why Minato had hit Sarutobi with the **Rasengan**. Perhaps he could ask him about that.

"Put on the jacket and sign this paper. It simply states that you are a Chunin and that you will serve the village as you always have." Naruto did just that. He swung the vest on over his current outfit and signed the paper. A smile was glued on to his face. He hopped he was making his Best Friend and Grandfather happy.

A roaring amount of cheers were heard when Naruto finished signing. He turned to his friends and smiled happily. It felt good to finally be recognized for do something good instead of being berated for something he didn't do. It was something he could get used to.

* * *

The day of the celebration went by rather swiftly. As did most days that were nothing but fun and joyous. Naruto had celebrated the day at local Dango store with Anko, Kurenai, Haku, Hinata, and Shino. Though Shino just sort of sat there.

The very next day Anko arrived at Naruto's house and dragged him to the training ground. She told him that he could learn more. He was proficient in the Hebi stance but he still had a lot to learn. Not to mention the other things that Shinobi to learn.

Such things like stealth and being able to recover information without being caught. Setting up traps and being able to spring them when needed. Being able to play the role of a cover and how to better mask one's emotions. General things that any Shinobi would need to know.

It took Naruto around two weeks to complete the other half of his training at Anko's hands. She was currently pushing him on his physical abilities. She would never admit it but he did excel at everything she taught him. It was truly a marvel to behold.

* * *

[**Later That Day- Hokage's Office**]

"Sorry to disrupt Lord Hokage but I need a question answered." Anko practically kicked down the door. She wanted to get this answer straight from the source so that they didn't lose Naruto. After all, this was something of vital importance to him.

Minato looked up to see the woman in the trench coat come in to his office. He beckoned her in with his hand and set his pen down. Something told him that this was going to be an important conversation that would require his full attention.

"How can I help you Anko?" Minato asked in a neutral tone. Anko sighed and sat down in a chair at the Hokage's desk.

"I need to know what happened during the invasion with Sarutobi. Why did you hit The Sandaime with a **Rasengan**?" Anko asked with a curious edge to her voice. Minato eyed her strangely but sighed when he detected that she just wanted to clear things up and He felt like she had pure intentions.

"This isn't exactly a secret but The Sandaime used the **Shiki Fujin** to seal off Orochimaru's hands. He then fled the scene while my **Rasengan** missed and struck the ground where Orochimaru was. The blue explosion that you saw was from that. The Sandaime flew from the building propelled from that." Minato informed her of the events.

"Is that what I should tell Naruto?" Anko asked with a frown. Naruto wouldn't buy in to that for a second. It was far to much of a coincidence for him to accept.

"Yes, no more lies. Make him believe it if he won't." Minato tried to give her a smile of reassurance. Anko sighed to herself, knowing that it wouldn't go over very well. But she had to try right? He was beginning to mean quite a lot to her.

It was quite the odd feeling for her. She never liked to rely on anyone, especially not since Orochimaru abandoned her. But along came Naruto and wormed his way in to the last soft spot in her heart. Odd things was that he looked so much like Orochimaru is was like getting the love of her Sensei back.

"I'll go tell him in a few hours. He needs to rest after this mornings training."

* * *

[**Naruto's house- ****After Training That ****Morning**]

Naruto walked in through his front door feeling absolutely exhausted. The training his was begin put through wasn't the problem. No, he felt his energy being sapped all throughout the day. Like some kind of jutsu was draining him dry.

Either way the only thing he wanted to do at this moment was to shower and go to bed. So he did just that. He walked in to his shower, stripped himself of his clothes, and went in to the shower. He turned on the hot water and let it run over his body.

He sighed in content when the hot water hit his skin and washed away all the grime and sweat from his body. The memories of the day rushed through his mind as all his stress temporarily. Being a Chunin was a lot more than he was used to.

In between training sessions with Anko they had been asked to go and do a few very short term B-ranked missions so that Naruto could get a feel for the new mission types he would doing. None of them took more than a day but the experience was very much needed for him.

He rolled his shoulder before turning the water to the shower off. He dried himself off and replaced his clothes with a newer, cleaner version of his daily clothes. He didn't have much in the way of clothing but he did get a few spares of his outfits.

When he pushed open his door, his heart stopped for a brief second. His eyes took a second to adjust to the darkness of the room but when it did he froze. Slowly he reached over towards the light switch to make sure he wasn't having a nightmare.

The light flicked to life with a small buzzing noise. The new white light illuminated in the room and revealed the guest that he had in his home. His whole body broke out in to a cold sweat and his throat clammed up so tightly he felt like he might not be able to breathe.

"Hello Naruto." A slithery voice called out. Orochimaru stepped out of the living room and towards the kitchen where Naruto currently was. The boy could feel his curse mark begin to flare up the closer Orochimaru got to him. It was like a burning itch he couldn't stop.

"What the hell do you want?" Naruto angrily asked. Orochimaru chuckled softly in to the tense air around them. This action only made Naruto all the more pissed off.

"What? A father can't come to see his own son? I bet you never questioned when your dear Grandfather came to visit." Orochimaru taunted his son. Naruto's blood began to boil with anger and rage at the disrespect of the Sandaime.

"Shut up!" Naruto swung a fist at his 'Father'. The Snake Sannin easily dodged the fist and kneed his son in the stomach. Naruto lost almost all of his breath in that one hit and doubled over in pain, gasping for air.

"Relax child." He hissed violently at him. "I am not here to talk about your obsession with that foolish old man. I'm here to give you information and offer you a choice." Naruto slowed his breathing and slowly stood up. He felt like a boulder had smashed in to his stomach.

"Oh...yeah?" He asked through strained breathes. Breathing, let alone talking, was hard enough to do. Add in to the mix that he was exhausted and drained of most of his energy and chakra and he was sore and weak all over. Something that Orochimaru keyed on.

"Yes. Your beloved Yondaime is not as innocent as you believe and I am not as corrupt as you may think." Orochimaru said with a stern look to his face. Naruto held a stern look of his own that looked and awful lot like his father.

"I never loved the Yondaime. I hated him for how he treated me. For what you did to the village." He spat at Orochimaru. It was easy to see that these two were not on the friendliest of terms.

"Good, then you'll _love_ him after this. He is the one that killed your beloved Sandaime. You saw the blue flash when I was leaving. I had nothing to do with his death." He lied carefully. The Sandaime was a touchy subject for the boy and this was bound to cause problems.

"What do you mean? You were fighting them on the roof. I saw you there." Orochimaru smirked. Things were slowly falling in to place for his plan. Now he just needed the last piece of the puzzle. His own son Naruto was that last piece.

"Did you now? You only noticed me when I left. What happened on that roof was something only two people truly know about." He smirked at his son's confused expression. Now for the final and finishing touch to the matter.

"Well...Well what happened?" He asked cautiously. He had no idea if he could trust his father. But he knew one thing. He sure as hell didn't trust the Yondaime anymore than Orochimaru. He figured the least could do was hear him out.

"Sensei used a jutsu to seal off my hands. It weakened him greatly but Sensei was always strong and her survived. Minato, having loathed Sensei for defending you, took the chance and attack him and kill him. That was the blue flash you saw. That's why I left before he could attack me in my weakened state."

Naruto listened with a skeptical ear. This was the first time he had gotten any real information on that fight. He had tried to ask Anko about the fight but she hadn't said anything on that subject. Either she didn't know or she wasn't saying anything.

A flash of rage burned through his veins when the part about Minato attacking Hiruzen. The very thought of Minato being so cold and evil that he would kill Hiruzen because of Naruto rubbed him wrong. Just when he thought he was beginning to like the Yondaime.

"How do I know your even telling the truth?" Orochimaru chuckled softly. Proud of the fact that his son didn't take anything for face value or anything like that. Still, he needed Naruto to believe his lie. He really wanted to see the grand fight between his two hosts.

"What do I have to gain from lieing to you hm? I hate Minato just as much as you do. I'm not as evil as you may have been lead to believe my Son. I am simply a messenger of the truth and sometimes the truth is ugly and harmful." Orochimaru finished with a sage nod.

Naruto could not deny that. Sometimes the truth could be the most deadly weapon that anyone could possess. But could he trust that Orochimaru was telling the entire truth and wasn't just lieing to get him angry again?

"While I agree with that I still don't believe you." Orochimaru nodded in agreement.

"I wouldn't believe me either. But, my dear child, you will the other side of this story. It will be up to you to decide which side you want to take." Orochimaru pulled a pill out from his pocket with snakes help. "Take this by midnight and you will be stronger than ever. But don't take it if you don't plan on accepting the truth." He had the snake place the pill in his hand. "I'll be waiting for your answer tomorrow. Here is a hint: When the raven flies the nest you will follow it to find the snake." He vanished in a cloud of smoke.

Naruto blinked at the place his father was. He stared at the strange purple pill in hand before pocketing it. That's when a kunai went sailing past his face.

"Hey kid." Anko's cheery voice called out from the side. Naruto turned slowly with a small smile of his own.

"I'm not a kid damn it." He spoke quietly. His voice was still far to weak to actually hold up a long conversation.

"Still a virgin."

"Care to change that?"

"What?" She asked dangerously low. Naruto sighed and shook his head.

"Oh nothing. Is there a reason you dropped by?" Anko looked confused for a second before she snapped her fingers.

"Yeah! I talked to the Yondaime about your questions with the fight. I can tell you but you have to keep it a secret." Naruto's eyes widened. How could Orochimaru know that she was coming to tell him that? Was this the actual truth?

"And?" He asked excitedly.

"Turns out that flash of blue you saw was a Rasengan hitting the ground where the snake bastard stood. The force of the move blasted him off the roof." She spoke nonchalantly. As if this kind of information was just common gossip.

So this was the truth that the Yondaime was telling her? This was the excuse for the blast and the resulting death of the Sandaime. Of course, Hiruzen could have been dead before this actually happened but who would be able to tell?

"Oh." His voice sounded disappointed.

"Hey cheer up. I know its not the answers you wanted but its something right? Now sit down chump. I brought us Dango."

* * *

So the two sat down at the small table that Naruto owned and ate the sticks of the food. They conversed about how the Chunin life was treating him so far or how long they were going to be able to train together. Neither of them wanted their partnership to end.

If one were to think about it they could understand. Anko and Naruto shared very similar fighting styles and talents. Both of them were strong and slippery to get a hold of. Add on top of that, they were very surprising Shinobi to witness.

When it came time for Anko to leave Naruto had offered to walk her out of the neighborhood. He knew she didn't need the protection but he felt like doing it anyway. So he would walk her out to the streets and back in to the nicer area of Konoha before letting her go.

She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before vanishing in a swirl of leaves. Naruto always brightened up when things like that happened to him. Especially from her. The only downside was that Naruto had to trudge his tired body back to his bed.

When he got there he plopped down on the bed with his headband in his left hand. In his mind he had a choice. Accept that Hiruzen had died before the explosion had happened. This would mean that the Yondaime was innocent of his crimes and was only doing his job.

Or he could believe the fact that Orochimaru was right and that Minato was only trying to cover himself. Normally he would agree with Orochimaru since he had thought Minato to be foul. However, watching him apologize in front of a crowd had done wonders for his faith.

He reached in to his pocket and pulled out the pill with his right hand. Orochimaru said that this pill would give him power beyond anything he had before. Just like when he gave him the curse mark. But there must be a drawback to this as well.

Another thought hit him. When Hiruzen died there was a hole in his shirt where the stomach was. The skin was bare but it showed signs of damaged to it. Could it have been that Minato had hit him with a weak version of the jutsu to cause that?

So then who was right? Was his father right in saying that the leaf couldn't be trusted? Or was the Yondaime right in saying that it was an accident that had caused it? In truth it came down to who he trusted more?

The Yondaime and his headband in his left hand?

Or Orochimaru and power in his right hand?

Naruto swallowed hard as he stared at the two symbolic items in his hand. Each one would lead him down a new path. One of a leaf Shinobi and one of a powerful Shinobi.

Naruto closed his eyes...

...and let one item drop to the floor.

* * *

**AN: Bam! Another chapter up for your viewing pleasure. Thank you all for reading, it makes me feel good to know my story is enjoyed by those that read it. As normal please leave a review so that I know what I am doing right and wrong. See ya next time!**

**Side note: Thank you to all of those that went and checked out my new story. I will be posting a new chapter for that soon so don't think I forgot about it.**


	14. Chapter 14

**The Cycle of Pain**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**AN: Enjoy and see you at the bottom!**

* * *

Naruto walked through the streets of Konoha with his Chunin vest and a smile. Last night had been rough for many different reasons and he was simply glad that it was over. He decided that it would be a nice day to go meet Anko at the Dango stand for some midday lunch.

When he got there however, Anko seemed to be talking to another ANBU type. He listened in closely to see if he could hear her being insulted. Luckily, he heard no such things. In fact it was more along the lines of someone leaving Konoha.

He decided to make his presence known and walk over towards Anko. "Hey Sensei!" The purple haired woman turned to face her student with a grim expression. One she rarely ever used with him or anyone that she care about. One of strict seriousness.

"What's wrong?" He asked her. It was a rare sight to see Anko in such distress. The only other time she had seen her like this was when there was a Dango shortage in Konoha. He nearly died four times that day from stray kunai that flew about.

"Naruto, there you are. You have an emergency meeting with the Hokage. You were supposed to be there five minutes ago. I suggest you hurry." Anko's voice was cold and harsh. Naruto nodded and sped off towards the tower without a word.

While running he couldn't help but to wonder what he was late for. Could it have anything to do with someone leaving Konoha like he overheard? Perhaps someone betrayed the village and left with something of great importance?

His face warped in to a scowl as he ran. Sour thoughts of betrayal running through his head. His vision turned towards the villagers he flew past while sprinting. He idly wondered what life might be like for them if the leaf nin were not so benevolent.

With his current speed and pace it didn't take him all that long to arrive at the tower. He quickly ascended the steps and pushed the door to the office open. Much to his surprise there was not a single Jonin in the room and he was the only Chunin there.

The room looked up at him as he walked through the door. The room consisted of Neji, Lee, Mino, Chouji, Shikamaru, Kiba and Akamaru. Kiba gave Naruto a rather nasty glare but didn't dare say anything to the boy's face.

"Sorry I'm late Lord Hokage. What's happened?" Minato looked at him with a frown. Not the hateful kind that Minato normal used. Just one that conveyed that he was upset with something. The blonde Hokage sighed loudly.

"Uchiha Sasuke has left the village to join the Snake Sannin Orochimaru." He spoke calmly but coldly. Naruto began to seethe silently at that fact. The Uchiha thought that he was special enough to receive training from a Sannin? He couldn't even beat Naruto in a fight yet.

"Yeah, damn Raven boy flew the coup." Kiba spoke and Naruto's eyes widened when he remembered his father's words about a raven. This must have been the secret message that he was trying to pass along to him that night. He had planned on taking Sasuke.

"I always knew Sasuke was a loner but leaving seems a bit much. (munch, munch)" Chouji spoke with a frown, burning through the bag of potato chips all the while. Most of the group inside the room nodded, including Naruto.

The pale boy's vision traveled over to the red haired child of the Yondaime. Mino had been oddly silent this entire time and hadn't even shown any facial expressions. Which if anyone knew the energetic boy, which Naruto did, this was very odd.

"So what are we all doing here?" Naruto asked, turning his eyes back to the Yondaime.

"This will be a retrieval mission. The objective is simple: Bring Uchiha Sasuke back. He didn't leave that long ago so this will be the perfect chance to get him. You all are the best group we could assemble so quickly thanks to your known connection with the Uchiha. Naruto will be team leader for this mission. I suggest you hurry and good luck."

Mino was the first person out of the tower. Followed swiftly by Naruto and Kiba and lee. Neji, Shikamaru, and Chouji were hot on their tails as they followed. Each ninja blazed a trail across the village and out of the gate before most knew they were gone.

* * *

The group flew through their home forest with speed, grace, and most importantly focus. Naruto and Mino brought up the front of the group, their faces sour for different reasons. Neji, Lee, and Kiba brought up the middle. And Shikamaru and Chouji brought up the back for support.

Each member of the group wanted to complete the mission for a different sake. Neji wanted to be successful in this mission because of his new personal goal. Gone was the fate servant Neji. The new Hyuuga had the goal of becoming the strongest to help Naruto. He hadn't said anything to Neji but the boy's eyes had.

They showed a child who had endured a fate worse than death itself. They showed a loneliness that came from a lifetime of seclusion. And yet, when he sent him that look during the Exams Neji felt fear in his own heart. Naruto had mastered his pain and used it for a strength. Neji wanted to master his strength and become strong in that way as well.

Lee had gone along to support his new friend in Neji. No longer did Neji feel that Lee was worthless for training so hard and had come to respect him because of it. The two had become training partners and had improved greatly in the month after the Exams.

Chouji had gone along because Shikamaru had and he knew Sasuke. He would much rather stay at home and eat but not when a friend was being kidnapped. Sure him and the Uchiha were never the best of friends but Sasuke had never insulted him so that was ground for a friend to Chouji.

Suddenly, a massive chunk of earth came flying out towards the group. Everyone managed to dodge the boulder at the last second. The group landed and scanned the area while they waited for the assailant to arrive. It wasn't long until a hefty size Shinobi jumped out of the trees and landed in front of the group.

"Heh, Sakon said that some leaf Genin would be coming this way. I didn't believe him but hey I don't argue with him. Sorry to say it kids but your journey ends here. Not as long as Jirobo is here." The plump ninja Jirobo spoke with a cocky smirk to his face.

The group all looked among themselves, all thinking the same thing. This man had to be one of Orochimaru's personal guard. The same ones that helped bring down the Sandaime during the invasion of Konoha.

"I got him." Everyone turned to see Chouji step forward to the front of the group.

"But Chouji-" Shikamaru was about to ask but was cut off by his friends stern but soft voice.

"Relax Shikamaru. If we all stay here to fight him Sasuke only gets further away. You guys go." Chouji spoke with a pure and strong determination to his voice. The others took the hint and darted off further in to the forest, hopefully to catch up.

Shikamaru spared one glance back to his childhood friend. '_Catch up soon buddy_.'

* * *

"So the fat boy thinks he can take me on alone huh?" Chouji narrowed his eyes at the mocking form of Jirobo.

"You're one to talk. You're heavier than I am!" Jirobo sneered at the cocky Genin. He decided to get this fight going since the other members of the Sound Four would be waiting for him. The plump orange haired male dashed forward to smash his fist in to Chouji's head.

The green clad boy just barely managed to dodge the fist. His eyes widened in horror as the ground cracked underneath of Jirobo's fist. Chouji threw his hands in to a seal and jumped in to the air, spinning his body slightly.

"**Nikudan Sensha**!" He called out quickly. The next moment and his body expanded at the chest and began rotation forward at an extreme pace, little more than a green blur at the moment. Jirobo lifted a brow as Chouji landed and raced towards him.

Little black triangle tread marks spread across his skin when Chouji drew near. He pulled his fist back and with a mighty heave and shout, slammed it in to Chouji's spinning form. The spinning boulder resisted for a few moments before being flung backwards and in to several trees.

"What the hell was that? Seemed awfully weak to me." The foul chakra spread around his body and made his presence all the more dark for Chouji. The plump green Genin rose out of the pile of broken wood with a stern set to his jaw.

The next moment, that very same jaw was crunched inwards by a fist with black markings. This sent Chouji even further in to the forest till his back met a rather firm tree. He bounced off the tree and landed harshly on the ground, his face in the dirt.

A sharp pain shot through his body when he felt a foot slam in to the base of his spine. He opened his mouth to scream but nothing came out. The pain was just far too much for his body to cope with at the moment. Another kick landed in to his stomach and sent him back against the tree.

"Is that all you leaf Nin have? Disgusting if you ask me. I hope the rest aren't this weak." Jirobo smirked before turning on his heel and slowly walking back in to the clearing. What he didn't expect to feel was a huge fist slam in to his back and force him in to the clearing.

He lifted his head and looked behind himself to see Chouji, with his hand shrinking back to its normal size. In his other, non shrinking hand, was a glass container that held two pills. One was yellow and one red one. There was an empty spot in front of the yellow pill.

"Don't make fun of the leaf or my friends!" Chouji practically yelled at the heavier set ninja. Jirobo just looked at the timid boy who had suddenly grew a spine. Other than his sudden change in demeanor there was something else. His chakra had shot up considerably in the last few moments.

But how? Just a moment ago Jirobo had stomped this little runt out and called it a day. And now all of the sudden he had enough energy and power to attack Jirobo hard enough to leave him in a slight daze? Just what had happened exactly?

That's when it hit him. The empty space in front of the yellow pill must have been another type of pill that Chouji must have taken. This must have raised his chakra and gave him a fighting chance again the Sound Four member who had the curse seal active.

"Or what? You'll hurt me? I'm shaking like a leaf." He smirked at the double meaning he had pulled off on his own. Feeling proud of himself, Jirobo took up a defensive stance as Chouji charged him yet again. Chouji reared his fist back and drove it forward.

The Sound Four member caught it deftly. Only this time it was no where near as weak as before and pushed him back several yards. Another wrapped up fist came sailing towards his face, which he also caught, yet again forcing him back.

Jirobo almost smirked in victory but a sharp headbutt to his chin made him rethink that idea. Slightly dazed, the older ninja was sent back by another extremely large fist like the one that crushed in to his back from before.

This was going to be a much tougher fight than he thought it was going to be. He was actually hoping to save a good deal of his chakra and use it to catch up with the others. Sadly, it looked like he was going to have to enter the second stage of his Cursed Seal to trounce this little bug.

Chouji saw the other ninja's skin begin to light up in a fiery orange color and his chakra seemed to explode with a brand new boost to its power. A boost that pushed his power far above Chouji's new power. It would seem that he would have to take the second pill in order to win this fight.

'_Hopefully this ends soon_' Chouji thought as he took the second, yellow pill.

* * *

Shikamaru felt a slight shudder to his body. Almost as if he could feel the distress and stress that Chouji himself was under. The lazy Nara could only hope that his best friend would be alright and that he would catch up soon.

But at the moment he had other problems to worry about. Mainly a foul mouthed girl with the power to summon songs through her flute. Songs that could very well spell the end of his days if he didn't figure a way out of them.

Of course, Shikamaru wasn't a genius for nothing. He had more than a few tricks up his sleeves for this woman. And he had used up most of his plans just to stay alive and ensure that she didn't get the chance to kill him.

But now, now it was down to the wire. Her with a kunai poised to drive straight in to his body. Him with a shadow hand moving slowly up her body to strangle the life out of her if she let her guard down for a second. Now it simply cam down to who could last longer in the battle of wills.

"Just...give up!" The pink haired girl yelled out angrily. Shikamaru just grunted in response and pushed on his jutsu all the harder. He had to end her here so that she couldn't report back to Orochimaru and reveal his skills or any of the others.

"Its far too...troublesome to give up now." He admitted through clenched teeth. The female growled in response to his admission and pushed her arm forward. It was mere inches away from stabbing in to his body and ending this accursed jutsu.

Well, she _was _close to ending his life. That was before something snuck up slowly behind the girl. Something roughly human shaped and seemed to be moving in a weird manner, all of its joints bending and moving as if they weren't there.

In an instant, the weird thing sprung up and wrapped itself around the body of the girl. Shikamaru's eyes widened as he remembered catching a fleeting glance at that thing before back at the Exams. He remembered exactly who this puppet belonged to.

"You know, for Orochimaru's body guard, you sure left your defenses down." A snickering Kankuro came out of the shadows, his finger in a position that looked ready to break her body in an instant if her wanted to.

"What?! Like hell am I going to be judged by some asshole wearing make up!" She hollered out and wiggled in the puppet's grasp. Kankuro frowned deeply and squeezed his fingers together slightly, forcing the puppet to squeeze slightly in return.

Shikamaru let out a huge sigh of relief and let his jutsu go. With the puppet latched on to the woman he wouldn't need to bind her with any jutsu of his. Kankuro could easily just hold her there and stop her from doing anything harmful.

"How many times do I have to explain it to people!? Its war paint. War! Paint!" Kankuro hollered each and every word. Tayuya's face simply turned sour in response to his yelling and she only squirmed harder in the tight grasp of the puppet.

"Let me go make up wearing freak!" Kankuro frowned heavily at her again. A stern and firm lock set in to his jaw as he spoke again.

"I told you. Its-" He was cut off by the angry Tayuya once again.

"Yeah, yeah I frigging get it! Its silly war paint! And this puppet is actually a doll and you dress up in a cat outfit!" Kankuro sighed to himself. He had just about enough of the disrespect of this red haired girl. No one insulted his puppets and got away with it.

"Yeah well try this on for size!" He hollered back, flexing his finger muscles once again. This time his fingers made a ball and tightened. The puppet responded to the commands of its master and squeezed all of its joints at once.

A loud crunch rang throughout all of the forest in which they were located. Shikamaru cringed at the sickening noise Tayuya's body made as it was crunched and dropped. Kankuro looked on disinterested as he pulled his puppet back to him.

"Did you have to kill her?" He asked in his normal lazy and strenuous free tone of voice. Kankuro smirked and nodded slowly to him, his eyes were narrowed.

"Yup, it was either you or her." Shikamaru raised a brow at that and stuffed his left hand in his pocket, his right hand laid to the side of his body.

"We could have captured her. She might have known something." Kankuro merely shrugged at the boy.

"Not my mission."

"What is your mission exactly?" Shikamaru asked curiously, his voice a tad uneasy. What if his mission was to end Shikamaru's life? What if killing Tayuya was simply a chance to get close to Shikamaru so his guard would drop?

"Relax, just to save ya and bring you back to your village. Suna wants to make up for its attack." He shrugged slightly. "This must be an attempt at that." Shikamaru nodded and turned to face towards Konoha, a painful expression on his face.

"Something wrong?" Kankuro asked passively upon seeing Shikamaru in pain.

"I...broke my finger."

"Your serious?"

* * *

Inuzuka Kiba clutched his small white dog Akamaru close to his body. The dog whimpered slightly in pain from being moved, even if it was so slight. Kiba whispered words of kindness to his dog in hopes it would calm down and relax.

"Its alright buddy, we'll get through this. We always do." Kiba assured Akamaru. The dog quivered slightly in response. Suddenly a red humanoid came crashing through the tree that Kiba hid behind with serious force and speed.

Kiba luckily dashed away from the speeding mass of human and landed safely in the clearing a few feet away. Two people caught up with him the moment he landed. They were half covered in an almost armor like appearance with a red horn on both of their hands, each on different sides.

"Damn these guys are fast." Kiba grumbled under his breath. Both Sakon and Ukon smirked in delight.

"You can thank Lord Orochimaru for that." Sakon smile and ran his hand through his hair with a delighted chuckle to his voice. His brother beside him chuckled in much the same manner. One might wonder if these two were brothers or the same person altogether.

"We are truly blessed with his mark." Kiba scoffed loudly at that.

"That's disgraceful. Letting another predator mark you and keep you as a mere pet." Kiba smirked as both the brothers frowned and sneered viciously. For a hunter, being marked and kept on a leash was a fate worse than death. At least in an Inuzuka's mind.

"Shut up!" They roared in unison and came dashing towards Kiba and the dog in his arms. They moved in a zigzag like pattern, crossing over Kiba several times over and clawed him each time they passed. However, Kiba noticed than one of them seemed to stop attacking to take a breather.

"What's wrong?" Kiba asked haggardly the multitude of attacks wearing on his body. Ukon frowned and panted heavily at the dog ninja. Being outside of Sakon for too long made him weak in terms of stamina. "Too weak to finish me off?"

"Shut your mouth filthy dog!" Kiba smirked and gave Akamaru a soldier pill. The little dog yapped quietly to his master. In the next moment both Kiba and Akamaru dashed forward and began spinning quickly.

"**Gatsuuga**!" They both yelled proudly as the neared towards their target. Both Sakon and Ukon joined back up in one body to defend against the attack. The Oni looking ninja performed a few hand seals and slammed his hand on the ground.

"**Kuchiyose: Rashomon**!" A giant wall with a demonic looking face. The two smashed in to the gate with all of their combined might. Eventually they broke through the gate but the other two had moved well out of the way by then.

"Scared of me yet?" Kiba asked with a slight grin, holding his shoulder in pain from their combined assault. Akamaru growled lowly in response as the two brother separated from their body once more. Both of them sneering at the other duo.

A moment later a huge gust of wind came roaring out of the trees and smacked directly in to Sakon and Ukon. The two landed harshly against the wall of trees and broken pieces of wood. Sakon looked to Ukon and nodded. A moment later the two of them joined bodies once more.

Kiba and Akamaru jumped up in defense. The looked in the trees to see a giant fan and a girl with four pigtails on her head. Temari emerged from the woods and landed next to the Inuzuka with a sly grin of her own.

"You're welcome by the way." Kiba snarled at her.

"I don't need your help!" He barked at her, amusingly enough, with a fierce glare of his own. Temari scoffed loudly and looked back to the two brothers that were sharing a joined body. They were slowly rushing back to their feet with a frown of their own.

"That was a cheap shot woman." Sakon spoke with malice in his voice at being attacked like that. Temari made no other move other than lifting her fan and getting it ready to swing at a moment's notice.

The two brothers in one body made a mad dash towards Temari. They poured chakra in to their bodies in a hope to reach her before she could swing that deadly fan of hers. Sadly, they were mistaken as the fan was swung far before they could do anything about it.

Once again they were harshly blasted backwards but she wasn't ready to let them rest even for a second. While they were in her wind she would lift up her fan and cause the wind to rise with them in it. A split second later and the fan, with the wind and brothers, were broke smashing straight in to the ground.

Kiba watched with awe as this was going on. Luckily his sense of smell picked up on Ukon leaving his brothers body so that he may escape. He never got far as he was cut off but a **Gatsuuga** straight to his chest, shredding him apart with ease.

"See how easy that was? I'm surprised it took you this long to get them this weak." Temari spoke while folding up her fan and strapping it to her back. Kiba picked up Akamaru and frowned.

"Sorry that I don't have a huge fan to use." Kiba grumbled under his breath. "What are you even doing here? Last I saw you were attack Konoha nin. Not helping them." Temari sighed to herself and hunched her back slightly before resuming perfect posture.

"Long story but basically Orochimaru killed my father and this is payback." Her voice sounded simple enough but Kiba could tell their was venom behind it. Ready to lash out and hurt anyone who dared to tamper with her.

"That's hardcore." Temari nodded softly.

"Yeah it is. Now let's get you back to Konoha."

"Wait what about the others? They need me." Temari smirked at him and hopped to a nearby tree.

"Don't worry about them. Gaara is helping out too."

"G-Gaara?!"

* * *

Neji leaned up against the tree with a frown on his face. He was easily taking the biggest beating of his life and for some reason he couldn't shake this guy. This Kidomaru was hot on his trail and vicious in his precise attacks. It took all Neji had to fend him off each time.

And yet here he was, leaning up against a tree with several gaping wounds in his back. A crazy spider archer was laying in wait somewhere shooting deadly arrows at his blind spot. Not to mention with the best accuracy Neji had ever seen.

Their battle had been hard fought on Neji's end. First there was figuring out how to beat Kidomaru's web silk. That proved to be an easy trick to learn as with the Gentle Fist, there was no web that could stand up to it.

Next was surviving the brutal onslaught of spiders from Kidomaru's personal summon. The black spiders rained endless from the skies but he was able to best even that, despite their numbers advantage over him.

Sadly, it was also during this time that Kidomaru learned of his blind spot in his vision. And he had exploited it ruthlessly, hitting him with several web like kunai that were created in his mouth. Neji had taken his fair share of these knives before fleeing the scene.

And that is how his current predicament came about. Bleeding and hiding from the very person that had been hunting him from the start of the fight. With the end in sight Neji wobbled forward and picked up his headband, which was shot off in the last attack.

Closing his eyes he had planned to accept his fate, giving in to his ideology once more. That was until he remembered seeing Naruto's rage empowered face. The face that refused to give in or give up to any fate or odds.

That was the source of Naruto's true power. Using the rage and anger in side of him to calm and stem the tide of battle with a pure focus to which even Neji's eyes could not beat. That was the kind of focus and skill Neji would need if he was to change the Hyuuga Clan and his destiny.

His eyes snapped open just in time for him to bend and dodge the arrow at the last second, earning a rather nasty slash through his shoulder instead of his heart. Neji smirked and grabbed the thread with his good arm. He began to flood the thread with chakra.

Kidomaru could feel the chakra enter his system and cripple his body from the inside. Most of his other organs were already destroyed before he could break the thread. However his heart had managed to beat on albeit rather slowly as he crashed on to the forest floor.

'_He must have flooded the thread with his chakra to get to me. Heh, this game was the most fun I have ever had. Too bad its the last._' Kidomaru thought before his heart slowly gave out on him.

'_Thank you Naruto. Thank you for showing me the true path to changing my fate._' Neji thought just before falling over and losing his vision.

* * *

"**Suna Tsunami**!" Gaara yelled as a large wave of sand rose from the ground in a tidal wave of pain and earth. Kimimaro's face remained passive as he dodged backwards to evade the numerous amount of tendrils. Even he wasn't good enough to dodge them all and ended up getting buried underneath the sand.

"He's got to be finished now right?" Mino asked Gaara somewhat curiously. Gaara's face turned to one of worry and displeasure at the question. See Mino had elected to stay behind once he noticed that Lee couldn't handle this on his own and sent Lee home with a** Kage Bushin**. Moments later Gaara had shown up to assist Mino.

[**Five Minutes Before**]

"Get him back to Konoha as fast as you can." Mino told one of his clone, who had Lee upon his back.

"Right away Boss." The clone darted off back to home with full steam. The original turned back to Kimimaro with an angry expression on his face. He stood to his full height proudly and stuck a pointer finger at the other ninja.

"You're gunna get a beat down for hurting Lee and taking Sasuke!" Just moments before Sasuke had woken up and darted away towards Orochimaru's Otogakure village. He had an extremely foul chakra surrounding him, even more so than before.

"It was his choice to join Lord Orochimaru. He desires power and that is the place he will receive it." The moment Kimimaro finished his sentence he was surrounded by a virtual mob of Mino and his clones.

"Adding more weaklings to this fight won't change a thing." All the Mino's snarled at the lonely Sound nin, sounding very much like an animal like roar in unison.

"Charge!" He yelled as the army of himself ran forward. Kimimaro wasted no movement as he took out every single clone with an almost practiced ease. Mino growled and summoned another army thus demonstrating his enormous chakra capacity.

"Mino!" Naruto cried out to him. Mino stopped his second wave and turned to him.

"Naruto you're here! What took you so long?"

"Had to summon a snake to take Neji home. He was very close to death." Mino nodded and turned back to his target.

"Could you help me here? I can't seem to touch him!" Mino let out a very frustrated sigh as he turned to Naruto. The pale ninja turned his attention to Kimimaro in the center. He caught the bones of the ninja slowly seeping back in to his skin.

"How did he beat all of your clone?" Naruto asked with his eyes zoomed in on Kimimaro.

"He literally just beat them with his hands and feet and those bone things that come out of his skin." Naruto nodded and took in a deep breath. The world around him seemed to slow as he applied all of his focus on to the other ninja.

'_So, he uses the bones to enhance the reach of his Taijutsu ablities. Add on to that he must be a wonderful Taijutsu specialist to be able to handle so many clones at once. The key to beating him must lay in either a force he can't beat with his hands or a better Taijutsu specialist and if Lee lost. That means only option one remains.'_

He opened his eyes and smiled. '_Right on time too.' _He turned his vision upwards to see Gaara riding in on a cloud of sand, a blank expression on his face till he saw Naruto. This was the first time they had crossed paths since that day.

"Naruto..." He paused for a moment. Naruto could have swore he was going to attack him again. "A pleasure seeing you again. I take it you are part of the Uchiha's retrieval mission?"

"Yes, Hokage put me in charge of the mission. And he is getting away. Gaara I need your help." Mino and Gaara looked at him with slightly shocked looks on their faces. Gaara seemed to grasp what needed to be done rather quickly.

"You need me to handle this guy so you can capture the Uchiha." Naruto nodded swiftly and sternly.

"And Mino here will help you out." Gaara frowned at that but nodded anyway. Maybe some type of help could be a good idea. Though he didn't really care for or respect Mino. Gaara had nearly killed him before this.

"Trust me Gaara. I have a feeling Kimimaro will test your limits like never before. And you'll be that much stronger because of it."

"I want to thank you Naruto. Thanks to you I now understand the true path to power and strength. I must become strong myself then become one with other strong people so that we all become stronger and can fight stronger people." Naruto thought about it. That wasn't exactly what he had said but it had calmed Gaara down and maybe made me more faithful to his village.

"Right, and thank you for helping." Naruto hoped away the moment after that, rushing towards Sasuke.

"So what do we do now?" Mino asked curiously.

"We begin." He ran through some hand seals and began the biggest wave of sand Mino had ever seen.

[**Present**] 

"**Sabaku Taiso**!" Gaara slammed both of his hands down on the ground. The next moment a huge wave of pressure shot out and forced the lake of sand to compress itself. Gaara stood up and frowned again.

"This is proving tiresome." Instantly, thousands of huge bone pillars rose out of the ground toward the duo. Gaara reacted quickly by rising the two of the up on a Sand cloud. This battle had raged on for a rather long time and Gaara was nearly out of chakra.

And he dared not to call upn Shukaku. He was just now learning how to control the beast instead of the other way around. Thanks to Naruto, he realized the greatest enemy lay within himself. And if he were to get stronger then he would need to conquer the Shukaku.

Out of one of the spikes came Kimimaro. His hand had morphed into something of a bone like drill. He reared his hand back and went to launch it forward. Gaara attempted to raise a defense but his chakra was nearly out and could barely keep him afloat.

The drill stopped just mere inches away from Gaara's face, blood dripping from Kimimaro's mouth like a waterfall. All at once the bones sunk back in to the ground as the sand cloud was forced to land on the sand below them.

"That was...close."

* * *

Naruto dashed through the forest with an unbridled speed and grace. He bounded from tree to tree without wasting a single moment. He would need to master ever single movement if he was going to catch up to Sasuke.

'_And when I catch up to you, I'm going to make you pay for your arrogent ways. Even if you are an Uchiha, what makes you think you can simply leave the village? And leaving for my father no less!_' Naruto mentally seethed.

To think that this Uchiha's head was so filled with pride and revenge that he couldn't even plan ahead and leave in a sneaky manner. Or at least he could disguise it as something else. Some people were just not as smart as they believed themselves to be.

This brought him to the previous night he had, the one where he had encounter his father. His words were clear to him now but what was the purpose behind them? Maybe he wanted to prove Sasuke's strength against Naruto?

Or maybe he wanted to show Sasuke that he needed the curse seal to win his fights for him. This would make him all the more reliant on Orochimaru and thus a more potent slave for him. Naruto nodded to himself. That must have been the answer.

Naruto eventually broke the treeline and came to a rather beautiful clearing. A large river ran through the center, two statues on either side of the river. One of Uchiha Madara and one of Senju Hashirama. Naruto's eyes narrowed as he landed atop the head of the Shodai Hokage.

"Sasuke!"

* * *

**AN: Bam! Another chapter done for your viewing pleasure. I do hope it was worth the wait. Sorry about another cliffy (Read: Totally not sorry). Next Chapter should be up soon! ****I'll see you all then!**


	15. Chapter 15

**The Cycle of Pain**

**Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto**

**AN: See ya'll at the bottom!**

* * *

"Sasuke!"

Naruto's somewhat haggard voice rang out clearly over the raging rapid that flowed between the two statues. Of course, Naruto had just spent the last thirty minutes or so chasing after him with all that he had in terms of speed. Luckily it had not gone to waste.

The Uchiha stopped on his heel and slowly turned around. It seemed the curse mark was taking hold of the young boys mind already. The black flame marks seemed to spread willingly and on their own accord. Sasuke left pupil was yellow with a black background.

In a way Sasuke was horridly unlucky that it was Naruto that found him instead of Mino. The Namikaze may have held back because they were friends but Naruto wouldn't. He would crush his bones in to powder if that's what it took to stop him.

"Naruto, why don't you leave before you get hurt? Nothing you can do will stop me now. Not with this much power at my control." He smirked looking at his own hands. Sasuke could not believe the new strength he had thanks to Orochimaru.

Naruto hissed at him with a seething rage to his voice. Who was Sasuke to believe that he could beat him because of a power up? The Uchiha had never even come close to beating him before so what gave him the confidence to do so now?

"I hate to point this out to you Sasuke but you haven't been able to hurt me yet. In fact I believe you have lost every single time we fought." Sasuke's face turned sour at Naruto's comment. While it was true, he just didn't like to be reminded of that fact.

A cool, moist breeze drifted between the two. A few leaves were caught up in the wind and drifted along their way lazily. The two boys stared each other down for several moments before Sasuke smiled and ran a hand through his hair.

"You're right Naruto. I have lost to you every time. That is why I sought out more of this power from Orochimaru. To crush you and my brother Itachi." Naruto supposed that Sasuke's voice sounded hurt and wounded but that didn't matter. At least not to him.

"What makes you think you can crush me now? Did you forget I have the same mark as you?" Just then a light breeze drifted through Naruto's longer hair. This caused it to sway and almost dance in the wind as Sasuke's smirk only grew bigger than before. Apparently he had been expecting this from the pale Shinobi.

"No, I didn't forget but it doesn't matter now. I have the next step up of that power and believe me. It is far more powerful than your measly mark." The Uchiha's bravado was really starting to take its toll on Naruto's nerves.

"Care to prove that?" Naruto asked with a smirk. Even if Sasuke were to say no to his challenge he wouldn't let him leave. He couldn't let him leave.

"No. I have more important things to do than play ninja with you any more. My path to real power awaits and nothing will stop me from getting it. Not even Orochimaru's son." Sasuke spoke with a taunting voice towards the end of his sentence. The smirk never left his face as he turned around to leave.

A whizzing and hissing noise could be heard over the rather calm stream below them. Sasuke almost turned around to stop whatever was coming at him only to be wrapped up in the strong coils of snakes. He looked over in surprise to see Naruto zooming at him, almost like the snakes were a grappling hook for him.

Sasuke's rather pasty white face met a fist even paler than his own. The crushing blow sent him off the top of Madara's head and straight in to the lake below them. Naruto remained atop the head of the ancient Uchiha while the snakes crawled back in to his sleeve.

The fall down in to the lake was exceedingly slow for Sasuke. The punch to his face hadn't hurt that badly, way less than sparing with Kakashi, but something about it stirred something within him. Something very akin to fear.

It wasn't that he was afraid of Naruto. That was a silly thought as he was an Uchiha, elite fighters that feared no one. It was more that he feared what Naruto was and represented. Naruto was the second person in his life that had been able to beat him down so easily.

Itachi and Naruto both represented the only thing he truly hated in this world: weakness. Even worse still was that it was his weakness. Despite being an elite Uchiha he simply could not beat either of them with anything in his skill set.

It almost made him feel like everything he had ever done was for nothing. All of the training. All of his hate and anger. All of it had been for nothing when compared to the skill levels of his two mortal enemies. If he couldn't defeat Naruto, then what hope did he have of killing Itachi?

_That's why you have me..._

His eyes widened in surprise at the slippery voice of the Snake Sannin inside of his head. But it wasn't wrong by any means. Sasuke did have a new type of power that was sure to even the odds between them. It had to.

At the last moment Sasuke twirled in the air and landed on his feet skillfully. He ran through hand seals as fast as his hands could take without messing up. His Sharingan flared to life on its own as he scanned over his enemy on the statue.

"**Katon: Go****u****kakyu****u**** no jutsu**!" Sasuke called out loudly. He inhaled a large breath before aiming it right at Naruto. He exhaled and fired the jutsu off all in one go. The smoldering boulder went flying right at Naruto who was currently at the waist line of the Madara statue.

The pale boy looked up to see such a flaming bomb coming right for his face, intent on burning him to death. Naruto stopped where he was and ran through the same set of hand seals, firing off and smoldering boulder of flames of his own.

The two orange balls met at the halfway point between them. They smashed together with a fierce force, creating a loud fizzing noise. The two of them eventually caused the other to lose all of its energy and die out.

Underneath of the two jutsu were Sasuke and Naruto engaged in a fierce battle of Taijutsu. Punches and kicks were thrown in bunches and used with blinding speed and deadly precision. One could feel the energy coming from them.

Sasuke did have the slight advantage though. His now three tomoe Sharingan saw all of his moves in advance, allowing the Uchiha to block or counter them easier. It had seemed that when Sasuke was falling he had unlocked the final part of his Sharingan.

Naruto still wasn't going down without a fight. His Hebi fighting style revolved around unorthodox attacks that were hard to pull off and even harder to counter. The body would require a certain natural flexibility to use to its fullest.

And luckily, Naruto had such skill with his body. His punches and kicks almost seemed to bend around with his body, no movement was wasted. But even with his odd style of attacking Sasuke could still see through it and block his moves.

It wasn't until Sasuke managed to land to jabs to his face and a push kick to his stomach that Naruto was forced to break away from the fight. He didn't stop there however as six snakes came soaring out of his sleeve to wrap around his leg.

With a smirk of his own Naruto pulled Sasuke's leg out from underneath of him with a mighty heave. He then began to rotate his hand in a circle, forcing Sasuke's body to be whipped around in a circle as well. He spun and let go of his leg, sending him in to the rock wall to the right of them. On Madara's side of the valley.

There was a loud crack and a bit of dust as the rocks were broken due to the Uchiha's body slamming against it. Naruto stood atop the water and narrowed his snake like eyes at the spot, hoping that had finished him but a part of him knew better.

"That...hurt." Sasuke groaned out to himself as he stood back up to his full height. He wasn't lieing, it had seriously hurt but it wasn't enough to stop him. Not by a long shot. He walked out of the dust with a smirk on his face.

"That hurt, Naruto. But it wasn't even close to keeping me from my destiny." Naruto scoffed at the boy and crossed his arms on his chest.

"Good. I would hate for this to end too soon. You are supposed to be the best Shinobi of the generation, right?" He taunted his opponent with his words. And by the look on Sasuke's face, it was working rather well against the Uchiha.

"Nothing about that village matters to me now. Uchiha Sasuke of the Leaf is no more. I refuse to give my time to a weak village that doesn't have the means I need to gain power." Naruto raised an eyebrow at his declaration.

"Really? Then how do you explain how I became so strong?" Naruto commented with a snide expression. Sasuke only seemed to sour at that.

"You are a Sannin's child. You were born with power already." Naruto nearly burst out laughing at that.

"So you're saying that you, a supposed Uchiha Elite, was not born with power?" Sasuke frowned heavily at that. Figures that Naruto would have a way to turn his own words against him.

"I was, just not enough power. I needed more and now I have it. And you will have the honor of being the first person of dying by my hand with this new power." Naruto watched as the black marks began to spread through his skin with their orange fiery glow.

"It figures you would need a power up to fight me. Even with your eyes you're just second best!" Naruto dropped in to the defensive version of Hebi and waited for Sasuke to come at him from the rocks.

And in just a few seconds, Sasuke launched off the bank of the river and toward Naruto. A hail of kunai and shuriken came at Sasuke the moment he made his move. The Sharingan slowed these items down to a point where Sasuke was able to knock them all aside with relative ease.

It wasn't long before the two boys met with fist again. Only this time there was a slightly different twist to their rumble. Each of them held a kunai in their hand and neither of them were even thinking about holding back in this one.

So the two Shinobi dueled it out with kunai and their Taijutsu. Naruto was more or less on the losing end of this exchange. The curse seal provided Sasuke with that extra edge to speed up his attacks and make them far more powerful than before.

A roundhouse kick to the face disoriented Naruto for a brief moment. It was then Sasuke grabbed him by the shirt and tossed him straight in to the air. Sasuke jumped up and brought his heel down in an axe kick fashion to send Naruto straight in to the bank of Hashirama's side.

Naruto grunt as he slowly stood to his feet with a slightly pained expression. Wincing as he did so he popped his shoulder back in to its proper place. He stood up to his full height and crossed his arms across his chest. His shoulder hurt like hell but it was at the back of his mind right now.

"Not bad, not bad. That one actually hurt but I suppose its time I stopped playing with you and show you what hard work and genius can do." Sasuke sneered at him as he landed back on the water. Naruto took a few steps back before preparing a few hand seals.

"**Doton: Doryudan no jutsu**!" Naruto spat out a rather sizable quantity of mud from his mouth. It took him a few seconds to get all of the mud out from his mouth and on to the ground near his feet. Soon the mud stirred and formed the head of a dragon with yellow eyes.

The mud dragon let out a fearsome roar before launching itself directly at Sasuke. The head and body were attached to the pit of mud that supplied the body of the dragon. Naruto stood beside it with his hands in the ram symbol to exert additional control over the beast.

Sasuke eyes widened as the mud dragon came roaring right at him like a train. His mind acted quickly and he fired off another big ball of flames towards it. The two jutsu clashed but the dragon won with a slightly more dry face. The water from the mud helped beat the fireball rather easily.

Sasuke swallowed hard as the dragon's dry face smashed directly in to his chest and carried him with it. The mud dragon made a sharp turn and went straight up in to the air, almost looking like it was touching the blue cloudless sky above them. The sun shone on the mud brilliantly.

Soon the beast aimed its head backwards and came back down. It mad another sharp turn and formed an 'O' with its body. Right before it smashed Sasuke's body in to the wall on Madara's side with a thunderous force and a loud cracking noise.

Naruto released the jutsu and panted slightly. That jutsu was very chakra intensive and if he wasn't earth nature it would have drained him dry. Luckily he had some serious practice with this jutsu since Anko had come along to help him.

He caught his breath and hopped across the river. The place where Sasuke had been driven through created a small sort of cave in the wall itself. Naruto quickly ascended the wall and found Sasuke's crumpled up body looking right back at him.

"Are you finished trying to beat me? You ready to go back to Konoha now?" Naruto asked with obvious impatience in his voice. Beating Sasuke was fun sure, but this was nuts. Couldn't he just give up already and go back?

"Never. I will never go back to that village. Its full of weaklings and useless pretend ninja. I refuse to be saddled to a second rate village for my entire life like that." Naruto sneered and nailed Sasuke in the face with his fist.

"Idiot, don't you ever think about some of the people that have come from Konoha? Your own brother came from there and look how powerful he is. My father came from Konoha and he is considered one of the most dangerous men in the world to this day. You could be strong there if you let go of your stupid ego." Sasuke sat in shock over what Naruto was saying to him.

It wasn't a like. Many very powerful Ninja have come from the walls of Konohagakure no Sato. The Sannin, the Hokage, Itachi, Kakashi, and so many more. It was part of what made Konoha the most feared of all of the villages in the Elemental Nations.

But it still didn't change the fact that he would need to become powerful quickly. Itachi was out there and as long as he was out there Sasuke would need more power. He needed something to make him impossibly strong. That's where Orochimaru came in to play.

Sasuke knew the Snake Sannin would want his body for his eyes. He was told as much by Anko and the others. But he could gain what he needed from that little arrangement. The way he heard it was that Orochimaru could transfer bodies every three years, thus his immortality.

But before he transferred his current host body would be very weak. Sasuke figured he could merely train with him for the three years needed and kill him before he could take his body. This way he would keep his eyes and be stronger than anyone could ever imagine.

It was the only path to achieve his goals right now.

"That doesn't matter to me. I need to kill Itachi and to do that I need as much power as I can get and quickly. Nothing you can say or do will convince me otherwise so just give up already. I'm not going back to that village." Sasuke spoke with a firm set to his jaw.

Naruto let out a frustrated growl and picked Sasuke up by the collar. "Are you listening to yourself right now? You sound like a damn child who didn't get want he wants because he couldn't be patient! If you did it for a better reason I might understand it but this is just pathetic."

Sasuke gripped Naruto's hands that were holding on to his collar and kicked him harshly in the stomach. Naruto grunted in pain and was flung out of the cave. Sasuke jumped out and plummet him with two kicks to his chest, forcing him painfully in to the ground below.

He managed to alter his path and land on his feet moments before landing. Sasuke landed a few feet in front of him. "Didn't you ever think that he is just using you?" Naruto asked curiously, clutching his stomach in a slightly hunched over position.

"I know he's using me but I am also using him. I will learn everything I can from him before killing him and using it on Itachi." Naruto was slightly surprised to hear that Sasuke thought so far ahead.

"Did he tell you that he offered me the same thing as he is offering you? Power, training, access to resources." Sasuke's eyes widened in disbelief. Naruto took that as the sign that he didn't know about that.

"Its true. He came and spoke to me just last night about it. And gave me a choice. He told me all about his deal with you and how you planned to leave today. And you know what? Even as his only Son, I don't believe him at all. He is a notorious liar and psychotic killer. He can't be trusted."

Of course Naruto didn't tell him the real reason why Orochimaru dropped by. To tell him his side of the events, not that Naruto believed his side anymore then he believed Minato's side. He was still very undecided about the entire ordeal.

But one thing was for certain. He didn't trust Minato, how could he after everything that had happened to him. And he didn't trust Orochimaru, father or not the man was never to be trusted. Orochimaru would kill you if it meant it served his goals better.

"You're playing a dangerous game Sasuke. If you lose this game you lose everything. Your life, you won't be able to kill Itachi, you won't be able to rebuild your clan. Everything goes away if Orochimaru gets your body." Sasuke almost seemed to regret his actions before he shook his head.

"I won't fail." Was all he said before charging at Naruto again. The pale boy lunged back wards and threw a hail of kunai at the Uchiha. Once again Sasuke blocked everything that was thrown at him with a skillful grace that only an Uchiha could have.

What Sasuke wasn't expecting was for one of those kunai to have an explosive tag on its ring. His eyes widened as he quickly jumped to the left and on to the river to avoid the explosion. The kunai became engulfed in a ball of explosive fire as the tag went off.

He was forced to close his left eye from the intense heat of the blast. His right eye caught a glimpse of Naruto as he dashed along the water and right at the spot where he was going to land. Before Sasuke could even react, Naruto was there.

A push kick to the stomach. A jab to the sternum. A roundhouse kick to head and Sasuke was sent down to the water floor face first. Naruto jumped up to drive the Uchiha further in to the water but he turned around so that he was on his back.

"**Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu**!" Naruto's eyes widened as the huge ball of flames came dangerously close to him. He crossed his arms over his chest and curled up in to a ball in the air. His curse seal activated on its own and supplied him with extra chakra to defend himself.

He was hit head on by the ball of fire, charring and burning his cloths and sending him careening out of the air. He landed harshly along the left bank of the river. His skin seemed mostly okay but there were a few burn marks. Most of those marks were along his arms, changing the pale skin to black.

'_Damn it! That really freakin hurt!_' He thought to himself as he struggled to get to his feet. He lifted his left hand and applied what he knew about medical Ninjutsu to soothe the burns on both of his arms. It still hurt but at least the burning sensation was gone.

"Shouldn't have gotten careless Naruto. You could have died there." Sasuke spoke with an almost visible arrogance in his voice. Naruto glared at the boy with enough spite in his eyes that they seemed to glow in response.

"I'll show you!" Naruto sucked in a breath and calmed down. The world around him seemed to slow down once again as he applied all of his focus on Sasuke. He needed to come up with a plan and this was the best way he knew how.

'_Sasuke doesn't seem to be especially hurt in any one place so targeting an area is out. He hasn't moved on to his next level of curse mark yet either so there's that to worry about. Perhaps I should use a summon and just end this fight with that. But if he survives I won't have the chakra to keep battling. Hm, perhaps I could force him in to a tough spot?_'

He thought about all sorts of plans that could work against Sasuke and his all seeing Sharingan. His eyes widened when he thought of the perfect plan. He would just have to hit him with an attack he couldn't dodge.

Naruto sucked in a deep breath and threw out two explosive kunai towards Sasuke's direction. The Uchiha smirked and dodged to the left, moving closer to Madara's knee. Naruto didn't let up in the slightest, jumping up and throwing three more kunai in zigzag formation.

Sasuke easily dodged the three in perfect succession. Each explosion rang out through the valley as if they were perfectly timed explosions. Each explosion forced Sasuke to get further and further back. By now he was practically against the statue of Uchiha Madara.

Naruto dashed across the water and checked his hands. He only had two exploding kunai left with him. He bought them especially for this mission, in case things got too thick for the team. This way they could blast their way out of situations.

Naruto threw the one in his left hands directly at Sasuke and put the other kunai back in to his left hand. The Uchiha noticed the other kunai and dashed to the right, along the wall. Naruto used his snakes in his sleeves to wrap around a rock and pull him over to the bank. Directly in front of Sasuke.

Naruto quickly fired off the last kunai, forcing Sasuke to go backwards. He looked back and forth between the two. Even if he were to dash off the bank and to the water the explosions would catch him and burn him severally. He had little choice but to defend himself from the blasts.

Sasuke hunkered down and let the second stage of his seal activate. His eyes were closed so he didn't quite know what he may look like now. What he did know is that two extremely painful things happened to his back. About where his shoulder blades were.

The pale Naruto watched with a smirk as the two blasts engulfed the Uchiha with their fire. He was sure that Sasuke would be severally injured now. Curse mark or not, no one could take blasts like that to their face and live to tell the tale.

Sure enough, as the smoke cleared, Naruto saw the Uchiha again. And much to his dismay the boy was still full intact and very much alive. Something had shielded him from the blast of the kunai. It looked like two giant hands covering his body.

Sasuke slowly stood to his feet. It took his body a few moments to get used to the sensation of having huge webbed hands coming out of his back. Regardless he maintained his balance and turned to face Naruto with a smirk on his darkened face.

Naruto looked over Sasuke with a shocked expression. Everything about him had changed. His hair, skin, nails. Hell, even his aura and chakra had all changed. Now Naruto wasn't much of a sensor but he could tell Sasuke was very powerful now. Stronger than he was at the moment.

"You see Naruto, this is the power I desire. Wonderful isn't it? To have the power to crush anyone in your path if you so choose. And now I will aim that power at you." Sasuke spoke with that self endowed tone that he normally used. Only this time it held a murderous edge to it.

Sasuke performed three hand seals and held up his right hand. Soon a light blue hue surrounded his hand, lightning crackling from his hand. Naruto had never seen Sasuke use this before but he assumed that it would hurt if it was used on him.

What he wasn't expecting was for the lightning in his hand to suddenly turn black with a white center. Naruto eyed the deadly jutsu with extreme caution as Sasuke poised the jutsu for one deadly jab to Naruto's heart.

The next instant and Sasuke dashed forward, easily closing the distance between them. Naruto had to make a split decision on how to defend himself from the attack. Sasuke's wings gave him some extra speed making this impossible to dodge.

Naruto had no choice but to chop at Sasuke's hand when it came too close to him, forcing the attack to go inside of his right thigh. The pain was beyond anything he hand ever felt in his entire life. Nothing could ever even compare to this feeling.

But he wasn't about to let that move go without punishing him greatly for it. Naruto's hand latched on to Sasuke's hand, the one in his thigh, and gripped it tightly. He pulled the hand out of thigh and, with his free hand which had a kunai in it, and plunged the knife in to the Uchiha's ribs.

Naruto could hear the ribs give way to the kunai as it plunged through them with ease. Sasuke's eyes widened in horror as he felt the knife break in to his body like that. Seeing Naruto's smirk during the whole ordeal only made it worse for him.

Sasuke stumbled back and clutched his rip hole tightly. Naruto dropped down on his good knee and looked at his wound. He grabbed some medical wrappings and tightly wrapped it on his thigh. It didn't help that the **Chidori** went through his femur.

"You see Sasuke. Even now you are just second best. You'll never beat Itachi when you fight that way." Even though he was in serious pain he couldn't help but to feel good about himself. Despite Sasuke's immense power boost he had won this fight.

"Now I know right about now you are finding it very hard to breathe so I will do the taking for now." He paused for a moment to get Sasuke's attention. Once he had it he began again. "I want you to know something. I don't disagree with what you have said. Sometimes getting stronger means leaving and going to go find strength."

Sasuke's eyes widened but Naruto paid him no never mind. "But power can come in many shapes. This seal is a form of power. Strong friends are a form of power. Personal strength is another example. You only used one of these." Naruto smiled at him.

He lowered his head so that his hair was covering his eyes. "I'm not going to kill you but I'm going to save you either. Though I am going to show you on thing before this battle ends." Naruto raised his head and looked Sasuke in the eye.

Soon, a nasty orange glow grew from the little flame like marks to cover over his entire skin, exactly how it happened with Sasuke. His hair went from being jet black to stark white but remained the same length. His body became increasingly slender. His joints bent and creaked as they become adjusted to his new body. His skin went from being pale to a more tan, earthy looking color.

All in all he look very much like a serpent. Naruto eyed Sasuke in his new form and smirked. His voice had changed to a slightly deeper tone with a lighter feel to it. "Do you see it now Sasuke? You are nothing special. You will never be special anymore. And now you will die a failure who couldn't even leave his own village." Sasuke coughed up a large amount of blood before falling over and hitting the floor on his back.

Naruto fell to the floor as well but on his chest. His body moved from sided to side like a snakes would as he slithered over to Sasuke's barely moving body, watching the seal sink away. He felt like he deserved a courtesy so he closed his eye lids for him.

He slithered away for a few more feet, going back up to the top of Madara's head. It was there that his chakra ran out so the seal sank back in to his skin. The new power seemed like it could come in handy with its extremely flexible joints and muscles.

He got to his knee and cursed. How the hell was he going to get to Orochimaru now? "Good job Naruto. A most wonderful fight with a delicious end that even I didn't see coming." Orochimaru spoke with a highly satisfied voice.

And why shouldn't he be? This battle between the Uchiha and his own son would determine who his next host would be. But more than that, it would ensure that he got the strongest host that he could. This way he would get more life out of the body.

"I didn't do it for your entertainment Orochimaru." Said Snake Sannin smirked in amusement.

"Is that anyway to talk to your father? Even after everything I have given to you." Naruto frowned but he couldn't do anything. He couldn't stand on his leg so he had very limited mobility. He could only sit there and listen in the knelt position.

"I didn't come here for you. I'm only joining you to get the training I need for my mission. Konoha is a village full of lies and some very important people have been ruined by these lies. Even more so is the people that are being treated like trash for sins they didn't commit. Its not right and I want to change. I want credit given to those that deserve it."

Orochimaru smiled at his son. So full of passion and rage that it almost beautiful to behold. And his goal or dream would collide straight in to Konoha while he was on his warpath. Some might see his efforts as noble, wanting the wrongs to be righted. Others would see it as a crime by changing those wrongs through force and cunning.

"I applaud your goal my son and will gladly give you the tools to accomplish that task. But for now we must hurry before others show up. No doubt many people heard this fight and will be coming to check it out." Orochimaru made a mud clone to carry his son as the two departed. It wasn't long before Naruto succumbed to his wounds and passed out from the stress.

'_I will give you the power you need but you will never get the chance to use it for your body will be mine._' Orochimaru thought to himself, a smirk coming to his face as the two of them retreated to Oto.

* * *

[**With Kakashi**]

The silver haired Jonin ran through the trees at high speed. He was following his dog summon Pakkun to where Sasuke and Naruto were. He mentally cursed for not seeing the signs of Sasuke's betrayal before it happened.

"We're here." Pakkun spoke with his gruff voice. Kakashi nodded and landed at the edge of the valley. His eyes widened as he recognized the place as 'The Valley Of The End'. He scanned the area in search of either one of the boys.

He was actually rather surprised by what his eyes beheld. There were signs of battle everywhere. Signs of explosions at the feet of Uchiha Madara. There were several holes in the walls and along the banks of the river. He eyes went over the banks to where Sasuke was laying.

Acting quickly he moved over to where Sasuke was at. His lazy eye went over his students body. Most of him was rather okay. It was the ribs that worried the Jonin. The hole in his ribs were gushing blood and needed instant attention.

He had no choice but to bandage it up with some wrap and apply what little he knew of medical Ninjutsu to save the wound. In the ANBU people were taught to know some healing jutsu in case of life threatening wounds. It wouldn't heal the wound all the way but it would keep it from getting any worse.

"Pakkun, do you smell Naruto anywhere?" The little brown dog moved away from the bank and sniffed the air lightly. He sniffed it a few more times before coming back to Kakashi.

"I do. He was bleeding rather badly from a wound. He moved up the statue of that other Uchiha. After that his scent gets masked by something and I can't trace it."

"Could you track that odd scent then?" Kakashi asked curiously, picking Sasuke up in his arms bridal style.

"Nope, its about to rain. Any scent will be washed away. You have bigger things to worry about like the Uchiha. We have to get him back now." Kakashi nodded and took off with Sasuke in his arms and Pakkun close behind him.

The real question was what was he going to tell the Yondaime about Naruto? The mission was technically a success but the boy was no where to be found. More over, they couldn't even go looking for him because of the rain. And by the time it was clear the chances of him being dead were high.

The only thing he could say was that Naruto died on this mission. It was either that or wait until Sasuke wakes up and they can get the truth. Either way it wouldn't be easy to tell anyone. Especially not Anko of all people.

Kami only knew how she would react. Hopefully she would be okay and handle it well but she would need help to make it through this time. She lost a student today and that would be hard on anyone. Kakashi was just lucky to have gotten his back.

'_Naruto if you're out there, hurry back home.'_

Little did he know. When Naruto came back, he would be coming for blood.

* * *

**AN: Sorry in advance. Fight scenes are not my best strength or skill. I did my best and I can only hope you will enjoy it. Yes the story has stuck pretty close to Canon but after this chapter it will begin to separate from that story line. As always please enjoy and let me know what you think! Till next time!**


	16. UPDATE

Hey everyone! It's Hebi here and I've finally returned from my Hiatus!

I have gone through a great deal in life and it has opened my eyes to a lot more. Regardless, my free time is back and my passion for writing has returned.

This being said, I am going to be re-writing 'The Cycle of Pain' as it was riddled with mistakes and flaws were heavily abound.

Give me a week and my new start will be up.

Until then, buckle up.

It's going to be an amazing ride.


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